Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama
by Layla the Hedgehog
Summary: Sonic and the gang hit the books when sent to Emerald Coast High School by GUN, where they meet new friends, make new enemies, and find love! :D :D This story contains Sonamy, Knuxouge, Silvaze, Tailsmina, ShadowxOC, and CreamxOC! In Progress! :D :D :D
1. Meeting With GUN

Hiya peoples! That's right- I said peopoles! Here is my new story! Have a frabjous day! Enjoy! :D :D :D

**(I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG)**

Hedgehogs, High School and Drama

Chapter 1: Meeting with GUN

GUN Headquarters

Shadow walked down the long corridor, wondering why GUN had called him in. _If I have to do one more thing that involves effort, I am personally going to kill these GUN agents. _Shadow thought, approaching a huge metal door with an eye scanner. He leaned down, letting the machine carefully scan his eye.

"Access granted. Welcome Agent Shadow the Hedgehog." The automated voice from the machine said robotically, opening the door. Shadow entered into the large room with his arms crossed, annoyed and not wanting to be there. He had better things to do. Suddenly, a bright light flashed on, revealing 2 GUN agents, along with Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, and Rouge.

"Hi there Shadow. We're glad you could make it." one of the GUN agents told him happily, still in disbelief that he actually decided to show up.

"Hmph." He replied, showing his usual no expression.

"So why did you call us in for this meeting?" Sonic asked eagerly, tapping his foot on the ground impatiently.

"Well, our sensors are tracing an enormous power source coming from Emerald Coast High School. If anything it's a chaos emerald, but the intensity level seems much higher than the average level of one." The other GUN agent answered, showing them a graph of how the levels have increased.

"Hmm… that's strange… the only thing that could possibly have more power than a chaos emerald would be the Master Emerald, but it's still in its shrine like always…" Knuckles commented, "Unless… OH NO! WHAT IF IT GOT STOLEN!" he panicked.

"Calm down Knuckie! The only one who would have the skill to take that gem is me, and I'm right here. You got lucky." Rouge chuckled, getting evil stares from Knuckles.

"Shut up Batgirl!" Knuckles glared.

"Well, when I have a chaos emerald, I can create unnaturally large power surges, but I can only do it because _I_ am the _only_ Ultimate Lifeform." Shadow bragged, making Sonic and Rouge roll their eyes.

"Too bad you're here and not at the school Mr. Big Shot! Looks like you're not the most powerful weapon after all!" Sonic dissed, leaning back in his seat and laughing at Shadow.

"So… if it's not the Master Emerald or Shadow, than what is it?" Tails questioned enticingly, staying very interested in the topic.

"We aren't sure Tails… that's why we called you guys."

"Oh great, this outta be good." Knuckles said sarcastically, leaning his chair back and kicking his feet up on the table in front of him.

"We want you guys to go undercover as students at Emerald Coast High School to make sure that nothing bad happens with the power source. Try and find out what may be causing the issue and protect everybody over there if anything goes wrong." The agent informed them, getting a mixture of reactions from the group. "Plus, you are all under the age of 18 -with the exception of Rouge- and you have never gotten a real education before."

"Okay, agent sir." Cream said politely, "but I have a question. What classes will we be put in?"

"Excellent question Cream. Sonic, Amy, Rouge, Knuckles and Shadow will be Sophomores, and you and Tails will be Freshmen because you are obviously younger than the others, but don't worry, you will be able to see the other all the time." The agent told them.

"WHAT?" Rouge cried. "Hey buddy! I don't know who you think you are, but I should be a SENIOR! People are gonna think I'm one of those stupid flunkies who have been stuck in Sophomore year forever! What's up with that! I think that we should be able to make our own decisions and choose for ourselves!"

"Sorry, it's already been decided. We've already signed you up!"

"What if I don't want to go?" Shadow mumbled under his breath.

"Shadow, this is a formal assignment!" the other GUN agent yelled, "Stop being so emo or all of the girls will run away from you… no offense…"

"Hmph"

"Oh, Sonic! This means that we'll be spending more time together!" Amy exclaimed in joy, tackling Sonic in one of her trademark hugs.

"He, he…" Sonic chuckled awkwardly, not really sure how to respond.

"There better not be a dress code!" Rouge complained.

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot! Here are your uniforms!" both of the GUN agents stood up, and went into the nearby supply closet, pulling out 7 big brown boxes and handing each one to each person.

The girl's uniform was a sailor looking dress with the school emblem patched on; it had a stylish look, so it didn't look like something a 5 year old would wear. Each dress came in whatever color they wanted, but the GUN agents just assumed that they would want their school uniforms to be the color closest to what they normally wear. Amy's was red with a white trim and white tie, Cream's was orange with a yellow trim and light blue tie, and Rouge's was black with a white trim and pink tie.

"I've gotta say, these aren't what I would choose to wear to every day, but I think I can make it work. I mean, it won't make me less beautiful, I'm already stunning." Rouge admitted.

"I think their cute! It matches my boots and headband perfectly!" Amy squealed.

"I like it too Amy; it's practically what I normally wear!" Cream smiled, holding it up in the air to get a good look.

The boy's uniform was a white or black button down shirt with a black dress jacket and black pants. Guys didn't have as much of a selection as the girls did; the only thing they could pick was the shirt color (black or white) and the tie color. (any color) Sonic's was a black jacket, white shirt and a loose hanging blue tie, Shadow's was a black jacket, black shirt and a normal white tie, (he still needed something that reminded him of his sexy chest fur) Tails' was a black jacket, white shirt, and a yellow tie, and Knuckles was a black jacket, white shirt, and a red tie.

"Aww… so does this mean we _actually _have to wear clothes now?" Sonic asked disappointedly.

"You do unless you want to go to Juvie." The GUN agent said calmly.

"Dangit! I liked running around naked!" Sonic cried, crossing his arms and throwing the uniform back in the box. _Goodbye sweet nudity… I'll miss you…_ he thought.

"You all can just wear your normal shoes with the uniforms. One more thing: you all will be staying in dorms since this high school is a private school, so pack your bags! Any more questions?"

"Uhh yeah…. When do we start school?" Amy asked worriedly.

"School starts tomorrow! A bus will pick each of you up at your houses tomorrow morning!"

"HUH!" they all screamed in one big panic. Everybody screamed out different things:

"ONLY 24 HOURS! I CAN'T PACK UP MY SONIC STUFF IN THAT TIME!"

"THAT'S NOT ENOUGH TIME! IT TAKES ME A FULL DAY TO DO MY MAKEUP!"

"ONLY ONE DAY TO BUY A WHOLE WARDROBE OF CLOTHES! YOU CAN'T EXPECT ME TO CHANGE FROM BEING NUDE TO DRESSED IN ONE DAY!"

"I'VE GOTTA GO FINISH MY MODIFICATIONS TO THE X-TORNADO BEFORE SCHOOL STARTS!"

"I NEED TO GO PACK THE MASTER EMERALD!"

"I HAVEN'T EVEN ASKED MY MOTHER!"

"HMPH!"

"We're glad you're so excited…" the GUN agents sweat dropped.

As everyone sprinted in panic out the large metal door, one of the GUN agents said "Shadow! Wait, we have one more thing to tell you that doesn't apply to the others."

"Hmph. What is it?"

"We need you not to tell any of the other students that you are the Ultimate Lifeform." The other GUN agent informed him, making Shadow slam his fist down on the table.

"Why not? That's like my coolest feature… although… everything is cool about me." Shadow chuckled, dusting off his fur.

"We're serious Shadow. They other students cannot know that you aren't normal –or a weapon. We don't want them to think that they may be in danger when being around you. Plus, you guys are going in as _undercover _students, so that may reveal your mission if anyone found out what you were. Students may feel unsafe knowing that you are the Ultimate Weapon, so please Shadow; you have to swear to us that you won't tell anyone."

"Okay, fine. You have my word." Shadow replied, still angry, but understanding.

"Pinky promise?" the GUN agent asked, holding out his pinky.

"I don't do that gay crap." Shadow informed in, swatting the agent's hand away. "Have a nice day." He told them sarcastically.

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**FIRST CHAPTER IS DONE! :D I was really in the mood for a Sonic High School fanfic, so I decided to make one of my own! :D This story definetly will not me updated as frequently as Phantom Hedgehog of the Opera... since school is in full swing now and I'm taking all Honors classes... so I would only expect an update once or twice a week... sorry! BUT- updates WILL be longer than PHOTO! :D Next update will be at least 4-7 days! Thanks for reading! :D Luv ya all! Have a frabjous day! :D**


	2. Meeting New Friends

Hiya people! Here's Chapter 2! :D Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 2: First Day of School

**Sonic's House**

"_BEEP BEEP BEEP!" _screamed Sonic's alarm clock at 7:45. "Ugh…." he groaned, slamming his hand on top to make it stop buzzing. Unwillingly, Sonic got out of bed and quickly jumped in the shower. The water literally ran for 5 seconds until he jumped out, threw on his uniform, and his old red sneakers. The bus was going to pick him up at 8:00; he was never one who needed a lot of time in the morning. (After all, he is the fastest thing alive)

He grabbed his suitcases and headed out the door just as the bus pulled up in front of his house. Sonic threw his luggage in the back of the bus and then hopped on; hoping and praying that Tails saved him a seat. Walking up the steps onto the bus, he peeked in to see that all of the seats were taken except 2 empty spots by Shadow and Amy.

"Sonic! Sit here!" Amy patted the spot next to her. Sonic sighed and sat next to her, and she began to talk.

"I was starting to think that I was going to be alone… Vanilla decided to drive Cream to school and Rouge was too embarrassed to ride the bus, so she flew. I'm so glad you're here!" she squealed.

"I'm glad to be here too Ames." Sonic looked around the bus until his eyes met Shadow, who looked upset and annoyed.

"Shadow looks pretty depressed about something…" Amy pointed out.

"Yeah… he doesn't normally look that way; even for him." Sonic agreed, "Maybe he's just as ticked about this having-to-wear-clothes thing as I am!" he chuckled.

Amy giggled and said, "Hey, the uniform looks good on you!"

Sonic sighed, "Thanks Ames. You look good too."

"Aww… thanks Sonikku."

"Attention students!" the bus driver yelled on the intercom, making everyone cover their ears, "We will be arriving at Emerald Coast High in 5 minutes!"

Amy's smile slowly turned to a worried expression as she said, "Sonic, I'm nervous."

"What for? You have nothing to be worried about. It's all going to be fine." Sonic comforted.

"What if they don't like me?" Amy asked worriedly.

"Why wouldn't they like you? You're an awesome person Ames; they _will_ like you."

"You really think so?"

"I know so," Sonic assured her.

"Thanks Sonic." She said, giving him a soft *not strangling* hug as the bus pulled up towards the huge school.

Emerald Coast High School sat about 50 feet in front of the seashore. Behind each dorm was their own private boardwalk and beach where students could go after school and on the weekends to hang out. About half a mile away from the school was a huge boardwalk with restaurants and an open-year-round carnival.

"Nobody told me this place was by the ocean! Get me outta here!" Sonic cried, trying to squirm out of his seat. Suddenly, the bus doors opened, and everyone filed out of the bus. Grabbing their luggage, they all went to check in inside the front office where they would get their schedule and dorm arrangements.

**Principal Eggman's Office**

"Dr. Eggman, can't I please just get a dorm with other girls? No offense, but it's embarrassing staying with you… all of the other kids who have parents who teach at the school stay in dorms with other kids."

"Enough, Layla! You're the Ultimate Lifeform! You're not a regular girl! You don't want anyone else to know your secret do you?" Dr. Eggman questioned.

"I don't care!" Layla cried, "The only thing people know me as is Principal Eggman's daughter- and that's not even true! You're not even my dad… I feel like I'm living a lie!"

"The other kids can't know that you're not just a regular hedgehog! They may think that you're a threat! You don't want people to be afraid of you, do you?" Eggman argued.

"They already are-they think that if I see them doing something bad that I will go and tell you to get them in trouble! Don't you see? I just want to be treated normal!" Layla cried.

"Hmmm…. I'll let you stay in a dorm if you promise to continue to keep your secrecy about being the Ultimate Lifeform. I don't want people to feel like they're in danger…"

"I promise! I won't tell anyone! Pinky promise!" Layla smiled, holding her pinky out to Eggman.

"What the heck do I do with that?" Eggman asked, staring blankly at Layla's pinky.

"You hook pinkies with me! Gosh grandpa! Get with it! You're so embarrassing!" Layla giggled, latching pinkies with Eggman. Happily, Layla ran to her room, grabbing everything out of her dresser drawers and throwing it into a suitcase. Just as she ran out the door, she grabbed her guitar case and bolted down the stairs towards her dorm. _If only there was somebody else like me… _she thought.

**Front Office**

"Amy!" a familiar voice called from behind her in the line in the front office.

"Hiya Cream! What dorm did you get?" Amy eagerly asked.

"1B, what'd you get?"

"1B!" Amy screamed in happiness. "C'mon, let's go walk over there together; we can meet our roomies."

"Walking with all of this luggage is too slow; let's fly!" Cream suggested.

Amy nodded in agreement as she grabbed Cream's luggage and her own and clung to Creams leg as she lifted off the ground and flew over to the dorm.

Looking at the huge dorm, Amy noticed that dorm 1A was connected to theirs, so whoever happened to get that dorm would be able to visit whenever they wanted. Nervously, Amy opened the door to find Rouge talking to a lavender cat with a wearing a light purple uniform with magenta trim and a white tie, and a yellow mongoose with long purple hair and ear piercings wearing a black uniform with dark purple trim and a bluegreen (literally the color bluegreen, not a typo) tie.

"Rouge! You're here too!" Amy and Cream shouted excitedly

"Amy! Cream! Yup, I'm here too! Looks like we all got to stay together!" she exclaimed. "Oh, Amy, Cream, this is Blaze the Cat and Mina the Mongoose. They're in this dorm too."

"Hi guys! I'm Amy Rose, and this is Cream. Cream's a Freshman and I'm a Sophomore." She introduced, "this year is going to be so much fun!"

"Nice to meet you guys! I'm Blaze and this is Mina; I'm a Sophomore and Mina is a Freshman."

"Layla the Hedgehog is gonna be here too; she's super nice. She may come across as a goth, but once you get to know her she's super sweet. She's a Sophomore too, so I'm sure you'll have a few classes with her, Amy." Mina informed her.

"Where is she?" Cream asked.

"I'm here!" a voice yelled from the front door. A black hedgehog wearing a purple uniform with red trim and a white tie carrying what must have been 5 suitcases and a guitar case, stumbled into the room and fell to the floor. Her hair was dark brown with red streaks, and it was pulled back into a high ponytail that was tied by a purple bow. A big piece of hair hung over her left eye, and she wore long black, fingerless, gloves that had purple cuffs. Her boots were tall black, white, and red with purple cuffs. (they looked like Shadow's shoes but in boot form, but had cuffs like Rouge's boots do at the top, but hers were purple, not pink) Quickly she recovered herself and stood up, "I'm okay!"

"Layla! You're here!" Mina exclaimed, running over and giving her a hug, soon followed by Blaze.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't introduce myself to you all!" Layla apologized, "My name is Layla the Hedgehog."

"My name is Cream the Rabbit, and this is Amy Rose and Rouge the Bat. It's very nice to meet you." Cream told her politely.

"So Layla- You finally get to truly experience high school by staying in a dorm!" Blaze informed her, lightly punching her on the shoulder.

"I know! I'm so excited! I never thought I'd ever get away from Eggman. God, he's so embarrassing! You know- he doesn't even know what a pinky promise is!" Layla complained.

"C'mon Cream, Amy, and Rouge," Blaze motioned, "everybody is meeting in the cafeteria for a meet and greet thing; we can all go and I'll introduce you guys to some people!"

"Sounds good! We'll let you meet some of our friends too if they happen to be there!" Amy agreed.

**Meanwhile with Sonic**

After Sonic got his luggage, he quickly met up with Tails to see what dorm he got.

"Hey there buddy!" Sonic said to Tails happily.

"Hi Sonic! What dorm didy'a get? I got 1A!" Tails told him, hoping that they would be dormmates.

"Same here! Let's get over there and see if Knuckles and Shadow are there too. Knowing GUN, they probably told the school to put us all in dorms together." Sonic dashed towards the dorm as Tails tagged along flying overhead. When Sonic reached the dorm, he and Tails opened the door to find an empty room.

"Looks like we're the first ones here! Guess we get first pick on rooms!" Sonic informed him happily, letting Tails go ahead in and then stepping into the room when suddenly-

"BYAMAMAMAMAAMA!"

"OH MY FREAKING BUTTER MUFFINS! HOLY FREAKING CRAP! WHO THE FUDGE WAS THAT?" Sonic cried, frantically looking behind him to see Knuckles laughing to the point of crying, rolling around on the floor.

"HAHAHAHAHA! YOU SHOULDA SEEN YOUR FACE BLUE BOY! PRICELESS CRAP LIKE THAT KEEPS A DUDE HAPPY…"

"KNUCKLES! YOU BASTARD!" Sonic screamed at him, still trying to catch his breath.

"HEY SILVER! SHADOW! YOU CAN COME OUT NOW!" Knuckles yelled.

Shadow and a silver hedgehog wearing a black jacket, white shirt and a light blue tie popped up from behind the couch, laughing almost as hard as Knuckles. "Nicely done Faker! You managed to freak yourself out and look like a moron at the same time. That takes skill!" Shadow admitted.

"Sorry 'bout all this… it's a tradition in this dorm that we scare the crap out of the last guy to actually make it into the dorm. Anyway, I'm Silver the Hedgehog, and by the looks of it, we're going to be dormmates!"

"Hiya *gasp* Silver, I'm *gasp* Sonic the *gasp* Hedgehog. *gasp* I don't *gasp* think I like that *gasp* tradition that much…" Sonic replied to Silver, still breathing heavily.

"I'm Miles Prower, but everyone calls me Tails. Sonic's my best buddy! Isn't that right Sonic?" Tails asked.

"Cooorrect!" Sonic agreed, giving his trademark smirk and thumbs up.

"Awesome! It's nice to meet you guys! Put your stuff down anywhere for right now. We're going to head over to the cafeteria for big welcome gathering thing. I'll let you meet some of my friends and we can hang out. Sound good?"

"Cool! I have a question for you Silver: Does _everyone _where clothes here?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Sadly… yes." Silver replied calmly.


	3. Meeting New Enemies

Hiya peoples! :D HAPPY TURKEY DAY! :D Here's a little gift from me to you for turkday day! I hope you have an awesome Thanksgiving! :D

In this chapter, the drama starts to pick up! Enjoy and have a frabjous day! :D

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**Chapter 3: Meeting New Enemies**

**School Cafeteria **

"Attention students!" Eggman yelled into a microphone. "Welcome to Emerald Coast High! My name is Dr. Eggman, and I am going to be your principal this year."

"I hate him!" Sonic mumbled so that only the group of guys he was standing with could hear.

"Why, Sonic? You just met him!" Tails argued calmly.

"I don't know; something just tells me that he's a bad dude… I don't like him." Sonic said, crossing his arms and frowning at Dr. Eggman.

"C'mon you guys! There are some people I want you to meet." Silver said, motioning them over to a group of girls.

"Ooo, let's go meet the ladies…" Sonic said smoothly, getting weird looks from Knuckles and Shadow.

"You're not cool, Faker." Shadow grumbled at Sonic.

"Hey, I'm cooler than you!" Sonic dissed.

"You just keep thinking that…" Shadow told him, as they approached the group of girls.

Sonic elbowed Knuckles lightly as he pointed to the pink girl, "Hey that pink one is kinda hot. I'm going to go and ask her for her name."

"Uh Sonic… that's-" Knuckles was cut off when the pink girl turned around.

"Sonic!" Amy screamed, giving him a tackle hug.

"Oh, hi Ames. Did you, Cream and Rouge get the same dorm?" he asked her, being strangled by her hug.

Amy lightened her hug as she told him, "Yup! I'm guessing you're with Tails, Knuckles and Shadow?"

"Rightyo!"

"He guys! This is Blaze, Mina, and Layla. They're in the dorm next to us, so we'll most likely be seeing them a lot." Silver introduced.

"Wait, we're sharing a dorm with them, so does that mean that we're next to you guys too?" Rouge asked, pointing a Knuckles, Tails, Sonic, and Shadow.

"Well if you girls are with Blaze, Mina and Layla, then yes!" Silver clarified.

"Hey Knuckie! Looks like you'll be able to visit me all the time now!" Rouge joked, getting glares from Knuckles.

"Whoopie…" he said sarcastically, crossing his arms in a pout.

Shyly, Mina walked up to Tails and introduced herself, "Hi, I'm Mina the Mongoose! You're a freshie right? I am too… so I hope we see each other a lot."

Tails was completely lost in her eyes, "H-h-hi-hi M-mina…I-I-I'm… I'm T-t-tails. I-I hope we see each other too!" he stuttered as he blushed making Mina giggle.

Silver walked over to Blaze and said, "Hiya Blaze!" he said, giving her a half hug.

"Hey Silver! I like these guys… what do you think?" Blaze asked.

"They're pretty cool. They'll definitely make the school more fun. I've got a feeling that this is going to be an awesome year." Blaze nodded in agreement, looking back at the group where everybody was socializing.

Cream looked around the cafeteria curiously to see what other freshman she could talk to, when a bunny about her age caught her eye. His fur was about the same color as hers, but he had dark brown shaggy hair that hung just past his nose. He was standing next to a green hedgehog, an orange fox, and a bunch of other upperclassmen. Wanting to be friendly, Cream decided to go and talk to him.

"Hi! I'm Cream the Rabbit! Who are you?" Cream asked, blinking her pretty topaz eyes.

"Hiya! My name's Danny the Bunny! I'm a freshman, what class are you?" Danny asked very warmly.

"I'm a freshman too!" Cream told him happily, giving him a cute smile.

"Oh cool! I thought you were a sophomore! High five!" he complimented, giving her a high five, making Cream giggle and blush. "I hope we get to see each other more this year! It'd be really fun to-"

"Danny! Why are you talking to that loser? She's the enemy!" the green hedgehog yelled, grabbing him and pulling him in the opposite direction of Cream.

"Oh! Oh yeah! What was I thinking talking to her? Heh, heh," he replied, trying to act cool in front of the older kids. "I'm sorry Cream… I've gotta go, but I hope I see you again soon! I really want to get to know you!" he whispered to her so only she could hear.

"Oh, okay… bye Danny!" she whispered back as the older hedgehog dragged him away. Cream sighed in disappointment as he was pulled out of sight. _He's really cute… and sweet! _Cream thought.

Layla kind of stood around awkwardly being shy, until she realized that pretty much everyone had someone to talk to except for Shadow, who was standing in the corner with his arms crossed, scowling at the group. Feeling bad for him and wanting to make a new friend, Layla walked over to him.

"Hiya! I'm Layla the Hedgehog! What's your name?"she asked politely, looking into his amber eyes.

"Hmph, I'm Shadow, Shadow the Hedgehog." he told her subtly.

"It's nice to meet you Shadow, I hope we have some classes together." Layla said, blushing and twiddling her thumbs.

"Hpmh." Shadow nodded, when suddenly- splash!

"Hahaha… sorry 'bout that Layla! I "accidentally" tripped with my water bottle open!" the fox scoffed, laughing and splashing more water on her clothes. "HEY EVERYONE! LAYLA WET HER PANTS!" she yelled to the cafeteria.

"Ugh! Shut up Fiona!" Layla cried, her hands balling up into fists and her cheeks turning bright red; enough to compete with Knuckles' fur.

"Hey! Leave Layla alone!" a voice called from a few feet away. It was Amy; gripping her Piko Piko Hammer with anger in her eyes. She was soon followed by the rest of the gang, who was standing behind her; ready for a fight.

"Oh Layla… you didn't tell me that you actually had friends! How sweet…" Fiona said, slapping Layla _hard _across the face. Layla fell to the ground, wincing in pain. Instinctively, Shadow ran to her aid being the closest one around.

"That's it!" Amy screamed swinging her hammer which was aimed at Fiona's head, when suddenly a hand stopped the swing about halfway to her target.

"Hey hey hey…. No need to get feisty…" the green hedgehog with a scarred stomach said smoothly, holding the end of Amy's hammer. "Heh, you think you're tough, girl? I could crush you like a twig!" he said, pushing Amy hard to the ground.

"Amy!" Sonic yelled, going to make sure she was ok.

"Thanks, hun. You know I could've handled them on my own…" Fiona flirted, kissing him on the cheek.

"No problem, babe. Just sticking up for my girl." He told her, pulling her up against his chest.

"Hey buddy! I don't know you who you think you are, but you're gonna pay for what you did to Amy and Layla!" Sonic screamed at the green hedgehog.

"Yeah! Same with you fox chick!" Rouge defended, kicking Fiona in the stomach as Sonic went after the green hedgehog.

Sonic lunged at him, kicking him in the head and punching him in the stomach. After about 3 hits, he was on the ground, begging for mercy.

"Please! No more! We'll leave you alone!" he cried, trying to stand up. Once he was up off of the floor, he smirked, grabbed Fiona and yelled, "NOT!" running off.

"Coward! Get back here and fight like a man!" Sonic screamed at him as he watched them run away.

"Yeah! Nobody calls Amy Rose weak and gets away with it!" Amy cried.

Meanwhile, Shadow was on the ground with Layla, who was covering her face in pain. "Are you alright? She hit you pretty hard!" Shadow told her, "let me look at it…" he said, prying her hand off of her face.

"I think I'm ok, it doesn't hurt that ba- OW!" she exclaimed when Shadow touched it.

"Wow that's a big bruise!" Shadow observed, looking at the big purple and black patch by her nose.

"Oh no! Eggman!" Layla gasped in sight of Eggman's entrance into the lunchroom. "We've got to get out of here! He can't see my face or I may be hurt more tomorrow!"

"What are you talking about?" Knuckles asked. "Don't you want him to see so they'll get justice for what they did to you?"

"No! I'm sorry, I have no time to explain! I've gotta go! She screamed running out of the room towards the dorm, trying to cover the bruise from Eggman.

"What's up with her?" Tails asked, "And who were those people who attacked her?"

Silver and Blaze sighed, already used to the drama from last year. "That was Fiona Fox and Scourge the Hedgehog," he explained, "They have hated Layla for a long time, but the reason she ran away was because Eggman is her father, and if he saw her face, he would ask what happened and who hurt her."

"Why is that such a bad thing?" Cream asked.

Blaze responded, "Well, when kids -and by kids I mean Fiona and Scourge's gang- get in trouble with Eggman, they take it out on Layla. So if Eggman saw Layla's face like that…"

"He would bust Scourge and Fiona, making them want revenge, so they would go and beat her up again… poor Layla!" Amy sympathized, "so has this been a constant cycle of pain for her?"

"Pretty much… but that isn't the main reason that they hate her. Fiona, Scourge, and Layla all share one common interest: music. Layla is a music prodigy, and Fiona and Scourge are a 2 man act who perform great together on stage. For years, Layla has competed against Fiona and Scourge and has always done better. Layla's voice and knowledge of music are far better than theirs, so they would do anything to knock her out of the competition because they know she's better." Silver added.

"Wow… they really take music seriously…" Rouge commented.

"Well, right now, they're competing for a scholarship to Mobius College of Music. Here at Emerald Coast High, only one person/ duet gets a scholarship to go there, and of course, Layla, Fiona and Scourge want it more than anything." Blaze informed the group.

"It can't be just Fiona and Scourge behind this whole operation. Do they have others who help them?" Knuckles asked.

"Actually, most of the time Fiona and Scourge bring their other buddies. I'm kinda surprised they didn't this time…"Silver realized.

"Who are their friends?" Shadow asked, trying to make a mental note of who to look out for.

"Well, Fiona's 2 best friends are Nic the Weasel and Sally Acorn. She usually uses them to stir up rumors about Layla or publicly humiliate her." Blaze informed them, shuddering at past memories of what they have done to Layla. "Scourge usually sticks with Nack the Weasel and Bark the Polar Bear, but this year he took a freshman under his wing, and he's trying to transform him into somebody like himself- mean and nasty." (A/N: Yes, I know Nack and Nic hate Sally, but remember: Sally is bad too! Just keep that in mind… )

"Freshmen who don't know who their real friends are always seem to fall into the clutches of the popular people who pressure them into being who they want them to be. It's too bad- the kid is so cool and sweet; it's a shame that a person like that is following Scourge around. I think his name is Danny the Bunny." Silver told them, making Cream's eyes get huge.

Cream gasped, "D-did you just say Danny the Bunny?"

"Uh, yeah why?" Silver questioned, confused by Cream's reaction.

"Umm… no reason. Hehe…"

"Hey guys, it's getting kinda late, and we have a big day tomorrow! Let's head back to the dorm and get some rest." Mina suggested, "Plus, I really want to check on Layla. She looked pretty upset when she ran away earlier." After getting nods of agreement from everyone in the group, they left the cafeteria and walked through the courtyard to the dorms. Soon, everyone was in bed, getting plenty of rest for the first day of school tomorrow.


	4. Literature Class

Hiya peoples! :D Here's chapter 4! :D :D :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 4: Literature Class

"Attention all students! Class starts in approximately 5 minutes!" Eggman said on the school's intercom as the Sonic gang walked to class. GUN made sure that they all had similar classes; they even took the initiative to give them schedules that nearly matched their roommates because GUN wanted them to make friends outside of their regular social group.

"Who do you guys have for 1st period?" Sonic asked, squinting at his schedule, trying to figure it out.

"I have Ms. Allen for Literature." Amy said, looking around to see if anybody else did too.

"Same here!" Sonic, Knuckles, Rouge, Shadow, Silver, Blaze and Layla exclaimed, exchanging confused looks.

"Well I have Science with Mr. Andrews…" Tails said quietly.

"Me too!" Cream and Mina yelled, scratching their heads in irony.

"Let me see one of the Sophomore schedules." Sonic said, snatching Knuckles' right out of his hands. Sonic pulled on his invisible beard as he compared the two schedules, but they looked exactly the same except for the names at the top of the paper. This is what they looked like:

Sonic the Hedgehog

1st Period: 10th Literature- Ms. Allen

2nd Period: 10th Science- Mr. Andrews

3rd Period: Chorus- Ms. Peterson

4th Period: Gym- Coach Richardson

Knuckles the Echidna

1st Period: 10th Literature- Ms. Allen

2nd Period: 10th Science- Mr. Andrews

3rd Period: Chorus- Ms. Peterson

4th Period: Gym- Coach Richardson

Miles Prower

1st Period- 9th Science- Mr. Andrews

2nd Period- 9th Literature- Ms. Allen

3rd Period- Chorus- Ms. Peterson

4th Period- Gym- Coach Richardson

"Holy crap! They're exactly the same!" Sonic cried, comparing his with everyone else's in the room. "All of them are the same! How did this happe- … GUN." He realized, actually loving being a part of GUN for once.

"Well… let's get to class then. I heard Ms. Allen gives a week of detention to anyone who's late!" Silver informed them.

"I'm not going. I'll see you guys in Science." Shadow scoffed, heading towards the courtyard.

"Shadow? Where are you going?" Rouge asked, grabbing his arm to stop him.

"I'm ditching. I don't even want to be here right now! Have fun learning… ha ha." He laughed, dashing off towards the courtyard.

"What's up with him?" Layla asked, watching him run off.

"Shadow is kinda a loner at times. He can get pretty cranky if he doesn't get his alone time." Sonic told her, making her frown a little.

"Oh…" she sighed, looking down to the ground.

"Layla, are you okay? What the matter?" Mina asked, putting her hand on Layla's shoulder.

"Nothing, I'm okay!" she assured them, trying to hide what just happened. "C'mon, let's get to Lit class!"

**Literature**

The group walked into the small classroom just as the bell rang to find a young light brown squirrel with long dark brown hair standing at the front of the room, writing _Ms. Allen _up on the whiteboard. She was the type of teacher that had all of the boys drooling and the girls rolling their eyes. The squirrel was wearing the basic school uniform for girls; it was white with blue trim and a red tie. She had the legs of Radio City Rockette and was as skinny as a pole.

"Good Morning class! For those of you who have never gone to school here: Welcome to Emerald Coast High! I am your 10th Grade Literature teach Ms. Allen. This is my first year teaching, so go easy on me…" Ms. Allen informed the class, making the boys almost fall out of their desks. "We are going to go around, say our names, say two of our favorite things and each of you is going to ask me a question about something. It can be anything: What are we going to be learning this year? Where are you from? Will you go out with me…." She mumbled the last one to herself. "We'll start with…. Hmm…. You! Polar Bear in the back!" she pointed.

"Ok… my name's Bark the Polar Bear… I like sports…. And…. Uh…. I like sports…. And my question is… uh….," he struggled as the classes eyes twitched.

"Ok moving on! Next is the weasel sitting next to him! After that, just start talking when we come around to you!" he instructed.

"Okie dokie! My name is Nack the Weasel! My favorite things are Ms. Allen right now and Ms. Allen again… and my question is: Will you marry me?" All of the guys erupted in laughter and the girls began glaring at Ms. Allen.

"He… he…no Nack… why would you ask such a question…?" she joked, slowly sneaking over to his desk. "We'll talk about it after class." She whispered in his ear before focusing on the fox sitting next to him.

"Hi, my name is Fiona Fox. My favorite things are Scourge and winning. My question for you is: Can I leave this stupid class?"

"No! Next is the green hedgehog!"

"Hey, my name is Scourge. My favorite things are my girl Fiona, and my awesome stomach scar. My question for you is: Are we allowed to make out in this class?"

"Absolutely not! *cough* unless it's with me *cough* No! Next! Oh- by the way: Scourge, Fiona; only one student per desk."

"Awww man!" Scourge whined, letting Fiona get up off of his lap and sit in the desk beside him.

"I'm Amy Rose. My favorite things are my Piko Piko hammer and the color blue. My question for you is: Why are you hitting on _our _guys?"

"You know what! Sharing time is over! We're just going to sit in silence the rest of class! Got it?" Ms. Allen screamed. Ignoring her, everybody just turned to their friends and began talking.

**Emerald Coast High School Courtyard**

Shadow sat under a beautiful and large oak tree surrounded dozens of pretty flowers that the Botany class planted. It was located in a back hidden corner of the courtyard that he was pretty sure was abandoned. Besides, the Botany class was no longer funded. Shadow decided to make this his secret spot where he would come every time he decided to ditch.

_I wonder what time it is… 1__st__ Period's probably almost over. _Shadow thought, looking at the huge clock tower in the middle of the courtyard. The clock read 10:50, so there were only 10 more minutes of 1st Period. He stood up, and dashed through the courtyard and back into the school when suddenly-

"Hey! Hedgehog! What are you doing outside of class without a hall pass?" a voice yelled. Shadow turned around to find Dr. Eggman trudging towards him.

"I was just… uh…" Shadow said, backing away slowly, trying to escape when-

"RIiIiIiINnNnG!" The class change bell screamed, releasing a mob of students into the hallway.

"What's your name hedgehog?" Eggman questioned.

"Shadow." He scoffed, "What's it to yah?"

"Well Shadow the Hedgehog, it looks like you were saved by the bell. If I catch you ditching again, we may be spending a lot more time together! In _my _office! Do I make myself clear?"

"Hmph, whatever…" Shadow replied, starting to walk away.

"I'm watching you hedgehog!" Eggman yelled from the distance.

_Maybe I should go to my next class… maybe school won't be so bad… nah! _Shadow thought, zoning out into his imagination when suddenly- bump! Shadow ran into a girl who was carrying a million things at once.

"Woah!" she cried as they both fell to the ground, dropping all of her stuff and about a dozen pieces of sheet music flying all around the hallway.

"Sorry…" Shadow said, looking to the ground trying to help her pick up the sheet music. "I'm not usually like this." He told her, still not knowing who he's talking to. Shadow finally looked up, realizing who it was, "Layla?"

"Oh, hey Shadow! Don't worry about it! It was my fault; I wasn't watching where I was going. I'm-" She said, just as their hands met reaching for the same piece of music. Suddenly, a red glow started to form in the palms each of their free hands.

"Woah!" they both gasped.

Both of their cheeks turned bright red as Layla quickly drew back her hand. Shadow handed the music to her. "Uh…" she wondered in confusion, "Thanks for helping me Shadow. I'm a bit of a klutz at times… more like all the time."

"No problem. I'll… uh… see you later." Shadow told her, still confused from what just happened, beginning to walk towards Science class. When suddenly in the distance, he heard a scream.

"AH! Leave me alone you creeps!" Layla screamed, being held against the wall with a pocketknife at her throat.

"Hold her steady Bark! I only need to cut at her vocal cords! Nack! Take out the hall cameras!" Scourge instructed Nack and Bark as Danny cowered on the side of the scene.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Shadow cried, kicking Scourge out of the way first, knocking the knife out of his hands.

_Oh god, please don't make me have to do it… _Layla thought, trying to break free of Bark's strong grasp. "Let go of me Bark! I don't want to hurt you!"

"Yeah? Well we do! What could you possibly do to me?" Bark laughed, trying to hold down Layla.

_Looks like I'm stuck… I guess I have to... I just need to get one hand free! _Layla hatched an idea; she kneed Bark in the crotch, causing him to fall down in pain. "Shadow! Get behind me!"

"Get behind you? Layla, I'm kind of in the middle of taking down Scourge!" Shadow yelled from across the hall.

"Trust me! Just get behind me! Now!" she screamed to him. Shadow shrugged and dashed behind her. Layla clutched her necklace (the pendant was an unusually red emerald… hmmm) and screamed, "CHAOS CONTROL!" The hearts on the palms of her gloves started to glow a brilliant red, and suddenly, a huge beam of light burst out of them, hitting Scourge, Bark and Nack, while Danny hid inside of a nearby trashcan for safety.

"AHH!" the 3 guys screamed as they were engulfed by light. Once everything went back to normal, Scourge, Bark and Nack layed in the middle of the hall; unconscious. Shadow stood with his mouth hung open, staring at Layla in amazement.

"You just induced chaos control! H-how?" Shadow stuttered.

"You know what that is? No time to explain! We've got to get out of here!" she panicked.

"What on earth is going on over there?" a voice from the distance yelled.

"Eggman!" Layla feared. "Oh crap! Crap crap crap! Eggman can't see this!"

"When all else fails- ditch." Shadow smirked, motioning towards the courtyard. Layla nodded in agreement. She took off like a rocket –almost as fast as Sonic- towards her oak tree, and was quickly followed by Shadow.

_Layla's as fast as me and she can induce chaos control! She can't be a regular hedgehog… _he thought, following her to the courtyard.

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OH NO! DID LAYLA BLOW HER COVER? FIND OUT BY READING THE NEXT CHAPTER! :D :D :D

BY THE WAY: THANKS TO ANYONE WHO HAS REVIEWED! I LOVE YOU ALL! :D


	5. Explaining

Hiya peoples... I am soooo sorry! Speaking of explaining... look who has some explaining to do now: ME! I totally forgot the most important chapter in the ENTIRE story! This is ubber important, and thanks to the most amazing reviewer ever, **Cstan**, the story WILL make sense! Again- I am SOOOO SORRY! This was an unforgivable boneheaded mistake!

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Chapter 4: Explaining

Layla stopped in front of her favorite oak tree, climbing onto the lowest branch as she offered Shadow a seat next to her.

Shadow sat down as he asked, "What went on back there? How did you induce chaos control?"

_Great! He's onto me! I guess I have to tell him… _she thought, trying to make up her mind whether to reveal her secret or not. "Okay… I'll tell you but you have to _swear _not to tell anyone! Not a single soul can know my secret!"

"Fine, I swear." He assured her.

"Pinky promise?"

"Hmph… Alright! Pinky promise." Shadow pledged, locking pinkies with her.

Layla took a deep breath, realizing how much trouble she could get in for what she was about to do. "Ok…" she sighed. "I'm not your average hedgehog; I am the Ultimate Lifeform created by Dr. Ivo Robotnik just before Space Colony ARK was shut down. He gave me the ability to induce chaos control and these boots that enable me to run at super speed. Eggman told me not to tell anyone about my abilities because he didn't want the other kids to feel unsafe." Shadow gasped, making Layla feel even more uncomfortable talking about the topic.

"My dream is to someday find someone like me… but that'll never happen… " she admitted, watching a pair of bluebirds fluttering together up high. "I'm probably boring you; I'll just go…" she sighed, looking down to the ground, and leaping out of the tree.

"Layla, wait!" Shadow cried, jumping out of the tree and grabbing her arm to stop her. "I've got something I want to tell you too… but it's a secret, so you can't tell anyone either."

"Ok, I promise not to tell."

"I'm an Ultimate Lifeform too..." he told her calmly.

Layla gasped, tears forming in her eyes. "Y-you are?" she questioned in disbelief. Shadow nodded and she continued, "Shadow the Hedgehog: you have no idea how long I have been waiting for you to come! I always thought that my fantasies of finding someone like me were crazy dreams that would never come true… now you're here…"

"I felt the same way… I always that I was the only one. I don't remember Robotnik ever saying that he was working on another Ultimate Lifeform. Although, my memories of being on Space Colony ARK are pretty foggy." He muttered, scratching his head.

"Oh, I guess you were created first then. Apparently, I was trapped in my containment cell until Eggman came and awakened me. Robotnik put me in an indestructible metal safe in hopes that one day, somebody would come and find me. Lucky for me, Dr. Eggman did, or I would just be floating around somewhere in space right now."

"That. would. suck." Shadow joked, making Layla giggle. "My question is- why do your hands produce energy, and mine don't?"

"I don't know. Maybe a future modification? Guess the younger kids get more… sorry Shadow." Layla smirked.

"Well, why did both our hands start to glow when they touched in the hallway?" he asked, looking down at his hands.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out… wanna try it again?" Layla shyly responded, holding her hand out to his.

"Ok, but if it brings a lot of attention and causes Eggman to come, we run for it. For once, I won't actually have to wait for a girl!" Shadow smiled. Slowly they touched hands, intertwining their fingers together. Layla began to blush and giggle when suddenly, their hands began to glow, producing a red ball of energy which soon engulfed the pair.

"Woah! What's going on?" Layla cried, frantically looking around at the bubble.

"I-I think we just created an energy shield." Shadow answered, in awe at what they had just created.

"Wow! I guess when Robotnik created me, he made my abilities compatible with yours, so that it makes our powers stronger when we fight as _one_; together!" Layla exclaimed.

"I wonder if we can make it bigger?" Shadow thought. Simultaneously Layla and Shadow continued holding hands as they raised their free hands slowly higher in the air, causing the shield to grow larger, swallowing more objects into its protection. Eventually, almost the entire courtyard was engulfed in the crimson bubble, when suddenly-

"WHAT IN MOBIUS IS GOING ON IN _MY _COURTYARD!" Eggman screamed, gaping at the huge bubble.

"Oh great! It's Eggman! We're trapped in this corner, so if we try to run, he'll see us and know it's you. Got a Plan B escape route?" Shadow asked her in a calm and cool tone.

Layla thought quickly of anything that may help them. After about 5 seconds, Layla smiled and told him, "No need for an escape route! I've got a better idea! This may not work, but we can sure try!" she informed him. "Just grab a hold of my hand again; I've got a plain."

"SHOW YOURSELF! DON'T MAKE ME COME AND FIND YOU!" Eggman yelled, starting to get closer.

"What?"Shadow questioned quickly, now starting to panic.

"Do you trust me?"

"Well, I guess so…" Shadow shyly responded.

"Then take my hand! Quick! If we go down; we go down together." Layla told him, holding out her hand again.

Shadow took Layla's hand with worry written all over his face. Quickly, she grabbed the chaos emerald on her necklace and whispered, "Chaos clear!" Just as Eggman approached the old oak tree, Layla and Shadow disappeared as the doctor began to scrutinize the area.

"What the-?" Shadow exclaimed as Layla punched him in the arm and covered his mouth.

"I know you're back here! Come out! If you decide to remain in hiding, and I happen to find your hiding spot, you'll have detention for a full month! If you come out now, you're punishment will not be severe…" he bribed. After a few minutes of an unsuccessful search, Eggman gave up and yelled, "Alright, you win this round, but next time I'll be watching, and you'll have detention everyday for the rest of the year!"

Once Layla was sure Eggman was gone, she said, "Chaos solid!" As she clutched her chaos emerald, Layla and Shadow quickly became visible again; back to normal. "Wow! I can't believe that actually worked!" Layla cheered in disbelief.

"What the crap just happened? How did you make us invisible? Also- OW! What was that for? You can really pack a punch!" Shadow cried, looking at his hands that he was recently unable to see.

"Oh, man up Shadow!" she joked, "Anyway, turning invisible is one of my abilities. I thought that since our powers are compatible with each other that maybe my invisibility would work on you if we held hands like we did before. Luckily, it worked, so my powers _do _work on you. I guess the point of transfers (place where powers transfer in and out of Shadow and Layla's bodies and into each other's bodies) in our body is located in our hands." She realized, looking at hearts on the palms of her hands which still had a small glow in them.

"Nice job Robotnik. What a gay place to put the transfer point! At least you're not a guy or that would be sooo gay!" Shadow joked. "I wonder if we can do more things with our powers…" he thought.

"I want to know as much as you do, but second period will be over in a minute or two, and I don't want any risk of people seeing us. I'm sorry." Layla apologized.

"It's fine; I agree with you. Why have risk on getting caught unless necessary? Don't feel bad, ok?" he told her, making her smile.

"Thanks Shadow." She blushed and giggled. Suddenly the bell rang, screaming RIIIING! "Time for lunch! You coming?" Layla asked.

"Yeah, I'm a bit hungry myself." Shadow replied, calmly.

"Alrighty then! Let's go! The cafeteria is just across the courtyard." Layla motioned, starting to walk next to Shadow. "Shadow?"

"Hmph?" he asked, looking at her with his big amber eyes.

"Thanks for making today the best day of my life." She told him, walking over and giving him a hug. At first he flinched, surprised by the embrace, but then he gently hugged her back.

"No problem. Guess we're not alone now, huh?" Shadow said, looking at Layla who was near tears.

"Yep." Is all she could say before breaking down into small silent cries of joy. _At long last… someone to relate too… someone I can completely open up to… someone who really understands me… finally. _Layla thought, still crying in his arms.

Shadow let her have a good cry; he understood what she had been through, so he could completely relate. He held Layla tight, thinking the exact same thing she was: _Finally. I'm not alone._


	6. Cafeteria Encounter

Hiya peoples! I AM SOOOO SORRY THE UPDATE TOOK SO LONG! This week, I've had 5 Chorus concerts, 4 finals, 6 quizzes, another Chorus audition, 2 essays due, a book report, and my mom had major surgery. I sorta broke down last week... went a little crazy. I WILL make it up to you by updating 2 chapters within the next 2 days! I swear! :D

**MAJOR ANNOUCEMENT! PLEADE READ THE NEXT 3 PARAGRAPHS! EPIC NEWS:** Alrighty... so the next chapter after this one is Chorus class, and I've been working on something huge to go along with the story! ARE YOU READY FOR THIS AWESOMENESS? Here it is straight:

I have taken the songs that they will be singing next chapter and I edited them by changing the pitch through a music software, so that they sound like the characters singing! :D :D :D sooooo I'm taking the songs and putting my edited versions on my youtube account! :D Yeah! That's right! I have a youtube account for my fanfics now! :D **Youtube Username: LaylaHedgie** I'm more of the audio and visual person, so when somebody writes out music lyrics in a story, a search the song and listen to it as I read the lyrics in the fanfic! Sooo by the time the next chapter is out, my music will be out on youtube too! :D I think it's great, because it's easy to imagine a character's voice in your head, but for me, imagaining a singing voice is really hard! Especially for a character who wasn't in any of the TV shows, like Layla, Danny, Fiona and Scourge! (Obviously not Layla and Danny...)

The song remixes might not sound too different from the original song the first time you listen to it, so here is what you should do: listen the first little bit ((AND ONLY THE FIRST LITTLE BIT)) of the original song, THEN listen to the remix. They reason for the "only the first bit": if you listen to the original for too long, it may ruin the remix by making it sound unappealing. It might sound weird, but if you imagine the character singing the song, it sounds pretty cool because I made it so that it sounds like the character singing. (or at least I tried...) So for a song that Layla is singing, (for example a Sara Barielles song) the pitch is going to be REALLY high, and for a song Scourge is singing it will be somewhat high somewhat low (or at least that's how I imagined it! So, what do you think? Leave your opinion in your review! :D

ANYWAY... I really hope you enjoy the music I made! I'm trying to go where no fanfiction has ever gone before! :D The song should be on youtube at the same time that Chapter 2 is up! :D Oh- for Danny's song... I won't have a picture of him going along with the video... I'm sorry! (unless some person who is a graphic design wiz could whip me up a picture of him) I just don't have the time to make one for him in the next couple of days! So sorry! It may just be a picture of a real life bunny for now. If you are interested in possibly making a picture of Danny, just zip me a message! That would be soooooo huge! :D :D :D

**(I DO NOT OWN SONIC THE HEDGEHOG, BUT I DO OWN DANNY THE BUNNY AND LAYLA THE HEDGEHOG) **

**Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! **

*I have to give a warning: in this chapter, it sounds like there is going to be something bad or inappropriate, but nothing bad actually happens; it only seems like it! Just wanted to give a warning for the younger readers! :D

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Chapter 5: Lunch

**Emerald Coast High Cafeteria**

At lunch, Layla and Shadow walked into the cafeteria about 5 minutes late, finding Sonic sitting with Amy, Tails, Cream, Knuckles, Rouge, Blaze, Silver and Mina.

"There you guys are! Why weren't either of you in Science?" Amy asked Shadow and Layla, who sat down in the two empty seats at the end of the table.

"Well, we kinda ran into Scourge, Nack, Bark and Danny on the way to second period. Bark held me against the wall as Scourge held a knife to my throat while Nack took out the security cameras and Danny cowered in a nearby trashcan. Shadow came to my rescue but part of the knife cut open my hand because I had my glove taken off. So we ditched class and went out to the courtyard where Shadow helped me bandage up my cut." Layla explained. "Isn't that right Shadow?" she asked, elbowing him in the shoulder.

"Hmph." He replied solemnly, crossing his arms and sitting back in his stool.

"Why didn't you just go to the nurse?" Silver asked, showing suspicion.

"If we went to the nurse, she would probably mention to Eggman that I got hurt, and he would ask me why. I don't want him to know that I constantly get in fights with Scourge and Fiona's gang. Do you know how much trouble I'd be in? He'd probably lock me back up in Space Co- I mean confide me to my room again!" she saved, smiling as if nothing was wrong.

"Oh, ok." Sonic commented, looking around the cafeteria. Just as he looked at Amy, an orange hedgehog walked up to her and leaned against the table in front of her.

"Hey there, sweet thing. You know, you're pretty hot. My name's Eric. Wanna go out sometime? We can go hang out in my dorm, and I'll show you a good time… " he told her smoothly, twirling his finger around one of her quills."What do ya say? Want to go?"

"No... I'm fine thanks…" Amy replied quietly, turning towards Sonic.

"C'mon, hun. I _really_ know how to turn a girl on." Eric argued, putting an arm around her shoulder.

"No thanks. Please go away." She forced more stern this time.

"Sorry sweetheart, I'm the type of hedgehog who doesn't take 'no' for an answer! You're coming with me!" he yelled, wrapping his arms around Amy's waist, picking her up as she screamed.

"Hey! Let me go! I'm not going anywhere you fudgebag!" Amy screamed, trying to free her hands so she could escape his grasp.

"HEY! LET GO OF AMY!" Sonic cried, jumping out of his chair and dashing towards Eric.

"Oh, is that your _boyfriend _doll face?" Eric joked, holding Amy tighter as he tried to drag her away.

"I'm not her boyfriend, but I do care about her as a friend!" Sonic exclaimed, not making Amy feel any better about the situation.

"Well if she's not your girlfriend, she's fair game!" Eric informed him, kissing Amy on the forehead.

"AAAHHHHHHH! YOU PERVERT! LET ME GO NOW! SONIC DO SOMETHING!" she screeched. Sonic was _furious. _Nobody was to lay a hand on Amy except him; she loved _him_, not Eric. In an instant, Sonic started to turn a few shades darker, turning into Dark Sonic.

Eric looked at Sonic with eyes full of fear, "Uh oh…."

"YOU LET AMY GO NOW OR YOU'LL BE SORRY!" Sonic glared, causing Eric to drop Amy and run.

"Until next time babe!" Eric screamed from the distance. "One day, when your boyfriend isn't looking, you'll be mine!"

"She isn't my girlfriend! I don't love her!" Sonic yelled back to him. Tears formed in Amy's eyes, and she ran sobbing to the courtyard, trying to make it back to the dorms.

"Oh crap… Amy wait! I'm sorry!" Sonic exclaimed, trying to stop her, but she just kept running.

"Who was that guy?" Rouge asked, her eyes following Sonic and Amy.

"That's Eric the Hedgehog. Avoid him at all costs. He's buddies with Scourge, and he's been known to do bad things to girls; by the looks of it, Amy is his next target." Silver informed them, making everyone gasp in worry over their friend's safety.

"What kind of bad things Silver?" Cream asked with an expression of confusion along with Mina, being too innocent to know what he meant.

"Uhhhh…. Hey guys, this apple is really really good! I mean REALLY good! I think I'm gonna go get another one or twenty!" Silver lied, getting up from the table and quickly walking away, making Cream and Mina look at the others for their answer.

"Knuckles, do you know what he was talking about?" Mina asked, making Knuckles blush.

"Well… tell the girl Knuckie!" Rouge joked, getting evil glares from Knuckles.

"Ummm hey Silver! Those apples might be heavy! I'll go help you!" Knuckles shouted, following Silver.

"Same here!" all of the others followed, leaving Mina and Cream alone at the table.

"What guys? What kind of bad things! Guys!" Mina yelled to them.

**Emerald Coast High School Courtyard**

After Amy ran about halfway across the courtyard, Sonic was finally able to stop her. He faced Amy's back, so he stopped her by putting both of his hands on her shoulders as he said, "Amy! Please stop for me… I want to talk to you."

"What do you want now? You already broke my heart! I've taken this behavior from you for years, but this was the worst! In front of _everyone _you said you didn't love me! Especially that creep, Eric! This time it's the end! Goodbye Sonic the Hedgehog!" Amy cried, tears rapidly cascading down her face.

"Amy, wait! Please don't leave me! I have something to say… please listen!" Sonic told her, grabbing her arm to make her stay.

"What? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't be leaving you right this second?" she questioned vigorously, trying to break free of Sonic grip.

"Well…. Amy… uh…"

"That's what I thought! Goodbye Sonic!"

"No wait! Amy! I… I-" Sonic was interrupted by a loud RIIING! Suddenly, students poured out of the cafeteria, heading for their third period class. "Oh crap! The bell! I'll tell you what, Amy: meet me at the beach behind the dorms tonight at sunset. There's something really important I need to tell you. Please don't bring anyone, and don't tell anyone that you're going, I want it to be just you and me." He informed her, making Amy have a confused expression on her face. "And please don't stand me up just because you're mad- this is really important."

"Uhh… okay then Sonic… but you hate the beach! Why do you want to meet there?" Amy asked with one eyebrow cocked.

"Trust me Amy; just come." Sonic commanded, "C'mon, let's get to chorus now."

"Fine! But this doesn't mean we're making up, Sonic!" Amy told him, making him laugh. "Don't laugh! I'm completely serious!"

_You won't be mad for long, Amy. _Sonic thought to himself; he had a plan. He knew that the beach at sunset was Amy's favorite time and place, perfect for what he wanted to tell her.

**Meanwhile with Eric**

"So, did you do it Eric?" Scourge asked.

"I tried, sir, but that blue hedgehog Sonic went and turned into some weird dark version of himself… it was insane." Eric replied feeling very guilty.

"So you didn't get Amy Rose!" Fiona questioned.

"I tried to take Amy, but Sonic threatened me so I bolted. I'll try again sometime when Sonic isn't looking, and then I'll snatch her."

"You idiot! If you don't do it next time, I'll start treating you like you're one of them! Do you want that Eric! Or do you want to go back to being a creepy stalker like everyone thought you were before?" Scourge threatened.

"No, sir! I'm sorry!"

"Unlike the others, we are giving you a win-win situation: you get the girl you love, and we make Sonic and Layla unhappy. You get all of the Amy Rose love you want, and we get the satisfaction of watching them suffer for it. Don't you want her? Don't you love her enough to accomplish this plan?" Fiona argued.

"Yes! I'm sorry! I will do it next time! Sonic doesn't scare me anymore! I swear I'll have her next time!" Eric cried.

Scourge sighed and said, "Ugh… okay Eric. I'll give you one last chance to prove yourself."

"You know, Sonic _is _pretty cute. Do you think I could have him after you steal Amy's heart?" Sally asked.

"Well, I guess so. Maybe we can convert him to our side, which would definitely make them crash and burn! Good idea. Also, is it just me, or did I see chemistry between Shadow and Layla?" Scourge pointed out.

"Um, now that you think of it, yes. They look like they like each other." Nack realized, receiving nods of agreement all around the dark room

"Watch Shadow and Layla. If they start showing signs of love, come and warn Scourge and I. Layla cannot have a boyfriend, but if she gets one, we'll be sure to break them up." Fiona planned.

"Have you had any contact with any of them lately, Danny?" Scourge asked.

"Uh, yes sir. I was talking to Cream the Rabbit yesterday. She's actually really nice. I-"

"Danny! She's the enemy! You two can't be friends! Do you want to be popular or not?" Scourge questioned.

"Yes, sir…" Danny sighed.

"Then no more hanging out with Cream!" Fiona yelled, making Danny somewhat upset.

"Alright, so here's the plan: Eric: WIN OVER AMY! If she tries to run, take her; we always have our own methods of persuasion. Nack, Bark, Rori, and Sally: keep an eye on Shadow and Layla. If love blooms, come tell us. Danny: Stay away from Cream! She's on _their _side! Fiona: stay hot and sexy like you always are! Everyone got it?" Scourge commanded, getting numerous thumbs up. "Good, now remember: our overall goal is to make Layla as miserable as possible, so that her performance ratings plummet! The operation is in gear! Let's move out!"

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**Alright... so Scourge and Fiona are behind Eric's creeperness! GASP! Sally wants Sonic! GASP! Amy hates Sonic! Gasp! I love Cream's innocence... it's so cute! There may be more of that throughout the story! :D**

**PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW! :D :D :D :D :D :D**

**Thank you to those of you who review! Even just ONE review makes a difference! Thank you sooo much! Love you guys! :D**

**Next chapter should be out by Friday or Saturday! :D**


	7. Chorus

Hiya peoples! :D :D :D Here is Chapter 6! This is the longest chapter that I've every posted! About 7,900 words! :D :D :D (although, most of it is me rambling on and on...)

GOOD NEWS! My youtube videos are posted! OH FRABJOUS DAY! :D :D :D So now, as you read the chapter, you can go to **youtube and go to my channel (LaylaHedgie)** and listen to my edited versions of the songs that the characters in the story are singing as you read! That's right: EDITED VERSIONS! The songs that are on there are NOT the same as the original! :D :D

Some songs are faster than the original and some are slower; that's what happens when you mess with the pitch. :P I even whipped up a ROUGH (and by ROUGH, I mean RRRROOOOUUGGGHHH) picture of Danny the Bunny for you guys cuz I think you all deserve it cuz your so awesome! :D It isn't very good because I didn't do any shadowing or anything and I made it around 2 o clock in the morning when I was half asleep. It's no Van Gogh, but it's something! :)

My Youtube Username: **LaylaHedgie**

So anyway... I hope you enjoy my this chapter along with the music I put on youtube! :D Have a frabjous day! :)

**(I DO NOT OWN ANY CHARACTERS OR SONGS IN THIS CHAPTER... however, I do own Layla, Danny, and Colette!)**

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Chapter 6: Chorus

Sonic and Amy walked into the large chorus room to find Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Cream, Silver, Blaze, Layla, and Mina waiting for them. Amy sat with the girls, and Sonic sat with the guys when suddenly a young, skinny, light blue hedgehog with long brown hair danced into the room. She looked no older than 25 and she wore a grey shirt with a black vest, skinny jeans with a grey colored wash, black converses and a black fedora. The clothes still looked good on her because she looked as though she was young enough to be a student, so it didn't look like she was trying to look young, she did on her own.

"Hiya! For those of you who don't know me, my name's Ms. Peterson, but you can all call me Colette, because I hate being called by my 'formal name'. I mean, c'mon people, my mom is Ms. Peterson! I was a student here at Emerald Coast 4 years ago, and I was actually the first person to receive the Mobius College of Music's scholarship. I graduated from MCM in the field of Music Education 2 years ago because they let me graduate early when I was 20, so I decided to come and teach chorus here. I'm surprised that I was even hired… I was only 21 when I got accepted to work here, making me the youngest teacher in ECHS history."

"Colette is the most awesome layed-back teacher ever" Layla whispered.

"Last year was my first year here at ECHS, a let me tell you: I found a lot of pretty promising talent." She informed the class, sort of eyeing Layla. "You will learn that my definition of "chorus" is a lot awesomer than most chorus programs. Unlike most music programs that like a classic chorus with formal music, I'm more of the "Show Choir" type. We will sing a wide variety of types of music; pretty much everything from Broadway to A Cappella to Pop. We'll even make up some choreography to go along with the music! So, this class is more like "Glee Club" class than "Chorus Class"." She informed the class who was happy to hear news.

"Alright, here's the deal: I want to hear you all sing individually in order for me to be able to split you into vocal parts, so I have decided to give you all an assignment. Each of you are going to choose a song –any song; it can be classical, rock, pop, even opera; I don't care- then, you are going to rehearse and perform the song for the class. You have 30 minutes; you can work by yourself, have a partner, or work in groups, doesn't matter. There are about 6 or 7 sound proof practice rooms around the chorus room, so once you decide what you're doing, come tell me, and I'll assign you a practice room."

Just as Colette finished, everyone jumped out of their seats and scattered around the room. Amy, Mina, Cream and Rouge got into a group, while Sonic, Tails, Knuckles got into their own group and Blaze and Silver walked off on their own. Layla wanted to work alone, and Shadow instantly left the class, wanting no part in singing.

"Layla, are you sure you don't want to be in our group? I mean, we don't want you to have to work alone unless you want to." Amy suggested.

"No, really, I'm fine! Thanks, but I already have something ready to perform." Layla told them, walking off towards Colette, when suddenly, Fiona and Scourge jumped in front of her.

"What do you want now?" Layla asked, annoyed at the fact that all they want to do is destroy her emotionally.

Fiona glared at her and said, "We just wanted to wish you bad luck. I hope you fall in a pit you little-"

"Fiona babe, we should wait until after the performance to insult her; we don't want Colette disqualifying us from MCM, right?" Scourge questioned, pulling Fiona against his chest. "Plus, we want to prove to her that _we _deserve to go to MCM, and not that little bitch! Watch out Layla, you won't be the only music star at this school anymore." He threatened, slapping her across the face and pushing her to the ground.

"Oww…" Layla moaned, as Fiona and Scourge laughed and Colette walked over just as the two ran off.

"Layla! Why are you on the ground? You okay there?" Colette asked, helping Layla up.

"Sorry Colette, I just had another little 'chat' with Scourge and Fiona. You probably know what happened just by looking at me."

"Yeah, I think I can assume they decided to put the pound on you again. Ya know, part of the thing that the judges look for is a positive attitude and good sportsmanship towards other performers. Lucky for you, that's going to keep them from getting into MCM."

"True."

"Well, watcha gonna sing kid? I know you probably already have something planned." Colette assumed. (A/N: Colette and Layla are like close friends- even though Layla's only like 16 and Colette's like 22, but Colette works with Layla on her music in the afternoon and weekends, making them good friends. Colette is technically young enough to be friends with Layla without making it seem creepy. They practice music in front of each other and hang out because Colette's just that awesome.)

"Yup, I've got a song!" Layla told her, showing her a bunch of pieces of sheet music.

"Good, do you want to use the piano or guitar?"

"Piano; I just learned it last night. It's a fun song. I can't wait for you to hear it."

"I'm just excited as you Layla. You can go and use Practice Room 1; I think you left one of your guitars in there last weekend, anyway."

"Thanks Co." Layla said, skipping into Practice Room 1.

Meanwhile, Scourge and Fiona had chosen a song, and decided to tell Colette.

"Have a song?" Colette asked the pair.

"Shut up and listen, Colette. We're singing "What I've Been Looking For" from High School Musical. We want to go first so we can intimidate Layla out of performing. You _will _do that for us, won't you?" Scourge commanded, holding up a fist.

"Scourge! You listen to me, and you listen to me good: I'm not afraid of you're stupid games! You and your slutty girlfriend here don't get special treatment because of your strength! If you pull _anything, _don't think that I won't go to Eggman right away! I know what you do to Layla, and you better cut the crap now, or I will disqualify you from getting the scholarship to MCM. I am your teacher, and I am telling you to respect me and your classmates! So listen up Mr. and Mrs. Ego, if you lay another hand on Layla, you _will _get hurt." She threatened.

Scourge was furious. He screamed "SHUT UP YOU-" Suddenly, Colette grabbed his fist, twisted it, and flipped him, making him crash to the ground.

"Uh…." He groaned in pain.

"Oh, by the way, I wouldn't suggest trying to hurt me either. I learned combat skills from both of my parents who were from the military, and I have a black belt in martial arts. Fiona, take your boyfriend and go into Practice Room 2, right now! Get out of my sight!"

"Y-y-yes Colette!" Fiona stuttered, taking Scourge by the hand and fleeing to Practice Room 2. Cheering from behind the scene were Amy, Mina, Cream and Rouge, waiting to be assigned a practice room.

"That was awesome Colette!" Mina cheered, high fiving Colette.

"Well, you know how I roll!" Colette joked. "So, can you guys tell me your names?"

"I'm Amy Rose, and this is Cream, Mina, and Rouge."

"So, do you have a song?"

"Yes, Miss Colette." Cream replied politely.

"Good, so you guys can go and rehearse in Practice Room 3. I really look forward to getting to know you better." Colette told them, motioning them towards Practice Room 3.

About 20 minutes later, every group had picked a song, rehearsed, and was ready to go. The groups were:

1: Scourge and Fiona

2: Layla

3: Amy, Mina, Cream, and Rouge

4: Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles

5: Blaze and Silver

6: Danny, Nack, Bark, Sally, and Nic

Everyone sat back in their seats as Colette introduced, "Alrighty, our first performance will be by Scourge and Fiona, and they will be singing "What I've Been Looking For" from High School Musical." Scourge and Fiona walked out just as the accompaniment music started playing. Fiona was wearing a silver sparkly beret with a sparkling microphone, and Scourge unbuttoned his dress shirt in an attempt to show off his stomach scar to look sexy.

_*Listen to "What I've Been Looking For" by The Hit Crew on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

The room erupted with applause (everyone except for the Sonic gang) as Scourge and Fiona bowed. "Um…. Nice performance…. Not my favorite song! Not my favorite musical! Scourge you'll be a tenor, and Fiona you'll be a soprano. Next, Layla will be performing "Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles."

As Layla walked out carrying a few pieces of sheet music, Scourge and Fiona glared at her. Asshe passed by, Fiona grabbed her arm and whispered into her ear, "Try and beat that, loser!"

"Watch me." Layla said, approaching the piano, glaring back at her. She sat down on the piano bench as she gave nervous looks to her friends in the audience. Sonic gave her a thumbs up, along with smiles from everyone else. Layla rested her fingers lightly on the keys as she began to play and sing:

Suddenly, everyone in the room except for Scourge, Fiona, Nic, Sally, Nack and Bark stood up and clapped. Even Danny stood up, but was quickly pulled down by Scourge. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Amy, Mina, Cream, Rouge, Blaze, and Colette all cheered in excitement and awe as Layla bowed, blushing as red as the glowing hearts on her gloves. Scourge's gang booed; they all knew that she did much better than Scourge and Fiona.

_*Listen to "Uncharted" by Sara Bareilles on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

"That was awesome Layla! You'll be a soprano as always. You have to teach me how to play that! Up next, are Amy, Mina, Cream and Rouge singing "Fame" from… well…. Fame!"

Amy, Mina, Cream and Rouge walked up to the 4 microphones at the front of the room as the music started playing.

_*Listen to "Fame" by Naturi Naughton on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

"Awesome job girls! Especially you, Mina! You're a born lead singer! If I were you, I would look out for solos in some of our pieces this year! Amy, Cream and Mina: you three will be sopranos. Rouge, I think you could probably carry the alto section with a few others since you're voice is so strong. Again- great job!" Colette cheered as the girls headed back to their seats.

"Hey, not bad batgirl. Although… I think I might be able to do better." Knuckles smirked, chuckling to himself.

"What? You think you can beat that stunning performance?" Rouge asked competitively. "I'd like to see you try, bigshot."

"Fine, watch me."

"Next, we have Sonic, Tails and Knuckles singing Knights of Cydonia by Muse!" Colette announced.

"Hey, looks like this is your chance to prove yourself, Knuckie. You're next." Rouge teased, pushing Knuckles towards the front of the room where Sonic and Tails were waiting.

When the music started playing, Sonic, Tails and Knuckles began playing air guitar, air bass, and air drums until the vocal part came.

_*Listen to "Knights of Cydonia" by Muse on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

"Wow! That was one amazing performance! Did you hear that class? Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles made a 3 part harmony on the first day of chorus! Impressive! So, Sonic, you and Tails go to the tenor section, and Knuckles go to the bass section. By the way- nice air band! Very convincing! Alright, so on to our next performance! Blaze and Silver will be singing "The Saltwater Room" by Owl City for us!"

Silver stood up confidently as Blaze slowly followed, being modest, blushing vigorously as she walked behind him towards the front of the room while Silver guided her, trying to make her feel better.

"You've got this, Blaze! You don't have to be nervous." Silver assured her, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Silver. Good luck." Blaze responded blushing harder as she smiled at him, happy to have a guy like him as her best friend. A guitar solo began playing on the stereo, queuing Silver to start singing.

_*Listen to "The Saltwater Room" by Owl City on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

As the music came to a slow, the room exploded into applause and Blaze and Silver bowed in acknowledgement.

"Awesome job guys! As expected- excellent work!" Colette complimented. "Let's see… Blaze: I'm gonna put you in the alto section for now, and Silver: You should go in the tenor section with Sonic and Tails. Great job! Alrighty- next we've got Sally, Nic, Nack, Bark and Danny, singing… uh… actually I have no idea what they're singing."

"That's because we're _not _singing, hat hair!" Sally dissed at Colette.

"Yeah! We don't sing." Nack informed her.

"Well-" Danny tried to say, but was quickly cut off by Bark.

"Singing's for gay guys!" Bark exclaimed, getting evil glares from Scourge and Fiona.

"Hey, watch it bub!" Fiona defended.

"Oh… I mean singing's for gay guys _other _than Scourge… he he…" Bark corrected, sweat dropping.

"Nice save…next time you say that, your ass is mine!" Scourge threatened, making Bark slide down in his seat.

"Well, anyway… we're still not gonna sing!" Nic refused.

"But-" Danny tried to squeeze in.

Nack interrupted, "We don't sing! So just get over-"

"WELL _I _DO!" Danny shouted, standing up and running up to the front of the room. Suddenly music started playing and he grabbed the mic stand and sang:

_*Listen to "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

As the music came to a slow, the entire class stood up in a screaming standing ovation; even the Sonic gang, due to the fact that Danny hadn't really been a threat.

"Wow! That was "If I Had You" by Adam Lambert! Danny- I'm speechless! That was incredible! You're a tenor for sure, and definitely a soloist if we sing a song with a male solo! That was in-freakin'-credible! Nice job!" Colette gasped. "So… I guess I'll just give you guys that didn't sing what's left for voice parts! Sally and Nic, you two will be altos, and Nack and Bark, you two will be basses."

The class continued to clap and cheer while Colette talked; everyone still in complete shock of Danny's courage.

Cream squealed as she ran and gave him a big hug and a high five. "That was amazing Danny! You can really sing!"

Danny blushed as he told her, "Aww thanks Cream! I'm not _that_ good!"

Bark, Nack, Nic, and Sally all sat behind, glaring at Danny with hatred. "Who does little punk think he is! He wasn't even that great, right Scourge?" Bark asked, staring at Danny with evil eyes and waiting for Scourge's reply. "Scourge?" he questioned again, turning to look at the green hedgehog.

Scourge slowly stood up, staring at Danny with wide eyes. Beside him, Fiona did the same thing as she whispered to her mate, "You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Hell yeah." He replied, their eyes still glued on Danny.

Scourge made his way over to the large crowd of people surrounding Danny, still keeping his eyes on him. "Wow…" he loudly said, the sound of his voice making the room go quite in fear. Scourge crept towards Danny as the whole room watched him, shoving anybody who got in his way. Approaching Danny who was still hugging Cream, he pried her out of his arms and pushed her to the ground.

"OW!" Cream shrieked in pain.

"Cream!" Danny cried in worry as he tried to help her but was quickly interrupted by Scourge. He put his arm around Danny in a guyish way and walked him slowly towards the door as Fiona followed.

"Danny- that there, was an amazing performance." He admitted, playfully punching him on the shoulder.

A huge smile appeared on his face as he exclaimed, "Thanks Scourge! I really didn't think it was that good… I-"

"Are you kidding? Kid, you've a got a voice- a good one! Not many people are lucky enough to have a gift like us." Fiona interrupted, messing up his shaggy brown hair.

"Yeah, you stick with us kid, and your singing career will take off." Scourge assured him.

"You really think so?" Danny questioned.

Scourge put an arm on his shoulder and promised, "I know so."

"RiRiRIiIiIiIiNnNgG!" the bell screamed throughout the school as students came pouring out of classrooms.

"Alrighty, well I'm gonna go see if Cream's okay now. I'll be right back." Danny informed him, starting to walk back towards Cream.

"Wait! Danny! We told you already- you CANNOT be friends with her!" Fiona reminded.

"Well, she really nice and sweet, and-"

"I don't care! Danny, that girl is one of _them_! You cannot be friends with her, or any of those losers!" Scourge commanded.

"But why not? Cream didn't do anything, and from what I can tell: she wouldn't hurt a fly! I just don't understand…" he trailed off.

"Look, kid: there's a lesson you have to learn in life: keep your eyes on the prize! Do you want to be a star or not?" Fiona asked.

"Well, I guess so…"

"Well that girl isn't going to help you get there; neither are the rest of those weirdos! All you need in life is one or two people to steer you in the right direction, and then you're set!" Fiona assured him. "The only friends you need are friends with connections that can make your career go places. Lucky for you, Scourge and I are those type of people. I mean- where is that chick gonna get you?"

"I guess you're right…" Danny sighed, looking down to the floor sadly.

"Just stay away from her kid. She's the enemy, and remember: eyes on the prize!" Scourge reminded him.

"Okay… I'll try and just forget about her…" Danny pouted, trying to fake a smile.

"Good. Oh, Scourge, I think you left your sunglasses in the practice room!" Fiona lied, quickly taking Scourge's sunglasses off of his head before Danny could notice. "Let's go get them! Danny- we'll meet you in gym!"

"Okay! See you guys later!" Danny replied, heading out of the chorus room with a skip in his step.

Once the two were sure he was gone, Fiona scoffed, "Stupid little punk; freshmen will believe anything."

"That part of the plan worked out very nicely. I think we have the kid under our control now. Looks like Danny will be out of the competition now." Scourge said with an evil smirk on his face.

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**Phew! DONE WITH THAT CHAPTER! :D That may have been the longest chapter in the story... but how would I know? I'm not even close to done! I'm guessing that there's going to be around 20 or 30 chapters long! **

**Next chapter may not be up until Friday night because this weeks is Finals week... and I have A LOT to do. (By A LOT, I mean 2 Chorus concerts, 2 papers due, 1 presentation, 3 quizzes, 4 tests, and a partridge in a pear tree!) :P **

**I might get it posted before Friday, but I make no promises. I could sit in my room and write ALL DAY! (which is what I do sometimes when I'm not at chorus practice or hanging out at school or the mall with my friends) (mainly chorus practice... i take music as seriously or even more seriously than Layla) I wish I wasn't so busy so I could post more often, but sadly I am. I will post ASAP! :)**

**Please please please please please please review! oooo and tell your friends if you want please! :D**


	8. Gym

Hiya peoples! Here is Chapter 7! Sorry the update took so long! Finals week at school! There isn't music for this chapter, and this one is considerably shorter than the other! Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 7: Gym

**Emerald Coast High School Gym**

Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Amy, Blaze, Cream, Mina, Layla and Rouge all walked to gym together from Chorus. Layla followed slowly behind the group, looking around for Shadow, hoping he might actually show up to gym.

"Layla, who are you looking for?" Mina asked.

"Shadow. I hope he didn't decide to ditch again! I wish he came to chorus; I wanted to show him what I've been working on." She responded, looking a little upset.

Mina put an arm on her shoulder and said "You've only known this guy for one day, and it already seems like you guys are best friends! Do you-"

"Like Shadow?" she interrupted, "No! Of course not! Where would you get that idea?" Layla laughed as they approached the gym. Leaning up against the wall waiting for the group inside the gym was a certain black hedgehog.

"Look who decided to show up for class!" Sonic joked, punching Shadow on the soulder.

"Hmph. Shut up faker." He responded, crossing his arms.

"Hiya Shadow! I'm glad you came!" Layla smiled, making Shadow blush.

"I… uh… thought I'd give this school thing a try." Shadow informed her

At the front of the gym, a muscular bulldog stood wearing a skin tight athletic shirt and a baseball cap that said "ECHS" on it.

"Hello students! This is gym, and for those of you who think that this class is an easy A, YOU'RE WRONG! I'm Coach Richardson! You have 5 minutes to go into your designated locker room, get changed, and be back! If you are late, or don't have clothes, that will hurt your grade. You're five minutes starts now!"

The girls jumped up and ran straight to the locker room while the guys took their time, knowing that it wouldn't take long.

Girls had to wear an athletic tank top that was the same color as their uniform with a pair of matching cheerleading shorts while the guys wore an athletic shirt that matched the color of their tie and black basketball shorts.

Sonic dashed out of the boy's locker room along with Shadow by his side in about 10 seconds. Soon, Scourge, Silver, Tails, Knuckles, Nack, Danny, Bark, Blaze, Amy, Cream and Rouge were out of the locker rooms, but Layla, Fiona, Nic, and Sally showed no signs of coming out anytime soon.

**Girl's Locker Room**

Layla stood in front of her open locker, taking things in and out when suddenly- SLAM! Fiona, Sally and Nic appeared from behind her.

"What a pleasant surprise…" Layla remarked, rolling her eyes.

"We just wanted to tell you how much your performance in chorus sucked!" Nic laughed.

"Yeah, no wonder your boyfriend left early!" Sally scoffed.

"He couldn't stand to here you sing!" Fiona commented.

"Shut up! He's not my boyfriend!" Layla defended.

"Oooo Layla and Shadow! How adorable!" Fiona taunted.

"Shut up! Just SHUT UP!"

"Ugh, don't tell me to shut up!" Fiona hissed, punching her in the nose. Following her attack, Nic pushed her to the cold floor and Sally kicked her hard in the head, instantly knocking her out.

"Ha! Have a nice nap Layla! Oh- and good luck facing Coach Richardson when you wake up!" Fiona joked, kicking unconscious Layla in the stomach.

**Back in the Gym**

Fiona, Sally, and Nic strutted into the gym right as Coach Richardson blew his whistle to signal that 5 minutes were up.

"Line up against the wall! It's time for roll call!" he instructed as everyone scattered towards the far back wall of the gym.

"Where's Layla?" Amy asked, looking around the gym

"I don't know… I didn't see her come out." Blaze replied, scrutinizing the crowd.

**Back in the Girl's Locker Room**

"Ugh…." Layla groaned as she began to wake back up. _Oww… my head… _she thought, putting her hand on her forehead. Trying to stand up, she noticed blood on the floor. "OUCH!" she shrieked in pain as she touched her nose. Quickly, she darted to the nearest mirror on the wall. Her nose was gushing with blood and the side of her head was bruised to a brilliant purple. Suddenly, she heard a voice yelling from the distance:

"Amy Rose!"

"Here!"

"Blaze the Cat!"

"Here!"

"Oh no!" Layla cried. "I'm late!" She sprinted to the door when she thought _Oh no! Coach can't see me walk in late! He'll give me detention and lower my grade!_ Suddenly, an idea hatched in her brain. Layla clutched her chaos emerald necklace and chanted, "Chaos clear!" Immediately, her body went completely invisible, and she silently crept out of the door.

**Back to the Gym**

"Bark the Polar Bear!"

"Here!"

"Cream the Rabbit!"

"Here!"

"Danny the Bunny!"

"Here!"

Layla tip-toed past Coach Richardson who stood in the middle of the gym towards the back wall. Luckily, Shadow stood at the end of the line, and he was the only one who she could reveal herself in front of.

"Fiona Fox!"

"Here!"

"Knuckles the Echidna!"

"Here!"

_Where's Layla? They're just about to call her name!_ Shadow thought, scanning the gym. Suddenly, Layla appeared bloody faced right next to Shadow.

"Holy-" he screamed right before she covered his mouth with her hand.

"Layla the Hedgehog!" Coach Richardson yelled.

"Here!" she responded, removing her hand from his mouth.

"Layla, you have to give me some sort of warning before just appearing in random places and scaring the living shit out of me!" Shadow whispered. "Whoa! What happened? Why are you all bloody!"

"I don't really remember… the only thing I remember was Fiona punching me in the nose and then the rest is a blur." She explained, completely ignoring Coach Richardson yelling out roll call.

Shadow's eyes burned with anger as he replied, "Ugh! She is soo gonna get it a-"

"Shadow the Hedgehog!"

"Here!" he announced, annoyed for the interruption.

"Alright class! Now that we've called roll, we're ready to start! Today, we are playing dodgeball! For today, I'll let you split into your own teams." Coach Richardson commanded.

The Teams:

Team #1: Sonic, Knuckles, Tails, Silver, Shadow, Amy, Layla, Mina, Blaze, Rouge and Cream

Team #2: Scourge, Fiona, Sally, Nic, Bark, Nack, and Danny

"Uh, guys? These teams are a bit uneven… does anyone want to switch sides?" Coach Richardson asked aloud. Nobody moved. "No takers? Alright! If you really want to keep the teams _that _uneven, that's fine with me! If I call your name, that means you're out! When I blow my whistle, start! Got it?" After receiving 18 nods, Coach blew his whistle, and everyone took off.

Instantly, Scourge threw a ball at Layla, but she quickly dodged it, throwing and hitting Sally in the stomach.

"Sally!" Coach Richardson yelled.

Sonic, Shadow, Silver and Scourge instantly went for each other. Scourge chucked a ball right for Silver, when suddenly, a bright blue glow appeared around the ball, stopping it in mid air. He used his telepathic powers to shoot the ball back at Scourge, but barely missed. As Scourge was focused on Silver's attack, Sonic hit Scourge _hard _in the crotch.

"Scourge!" Coach announced.

"HAHAHA!" the Sonic team laughed as Scourge winced in pain on the ground. Fiona fumed with anger, throwing 3 balls at Sonic's head; each ball a bullseye.

"Sonic!"

Rouge and Nack were going at it alone; she knew she could handle him by herself. She threw her ball at full force right at his face, and hit him.

"Nack!"

"Yes! That makes three! Four more to go!" she celebrated. Rouge was completely sucked into her celebration, that she didn't even notice Bark standing right next to Nack, beginning to chuck his ball at her head.

"AHH!" she screamed once she saw the ball coming closer.

Standing about a yard away was Knuckles, who was watching this whole situation happen.

"Rouge!" he cried, diving in front of her just as the ball reached its target. The ball hit Knuckles hard in the stomach, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Knuckles!" Coach called

"Knuckles! Are you okay?" Rouge asked, leaning over him.

"Yeah, Batgirl. I'm fine." He managed to get out after a long coughing fit.

"Thanks jumping in front of me… it was actually really sweet." She admitted.

"No problem," He blushed as Rouge helped him up.

Suddenly, right after helping Knuckles, Rouge was hit by Nic in the arm.

"Rouge!"

Amy and Blaze went after Nic, who was the easiest to fool. Blaze threw her ball high up in the air above her head, causing her to focus on that. Just before Nic was able to catch the ball to get Blaze out, Amy threw her ball and hit her in the arm as the other ball came down on her head.

"Nicolette!"

"Bark! Cover me!" Fiona cried. Bark stood like a giant shield in front of Fiona, blocking every attack that came upon her by hitting the balls away with his ball.

Tails noticed that Mina was trying to throw her balls over Barl, but failed miserably. Suddenly, and idea formed in his head. He flew over to Mina, wrapped his arms around her waist and lifted her into the air.

"Need a lift?" Tails asked.

"Whoa! He he! Thanks Tails! We've got em' now!" Mina exclaimed.

Unfortunately, this only made it easier for Bark. He threw one ball, knocking both of them out of the air and down to the hard gym floor.

"Tails! Mina!" Coach screamed.

While Amy, Silver and Blaze were distracted Tails and Mina, Fiona came from behind Bark and wiped the three of them out.

"Amy! Silver! Blaze!"

"C'mon you big lug! You can do better than that! Get them!" Fiona complained at Bark.

"Sorry Fiona! I'm trying!" Bark apologized.

"Well try harder! You suck at this!" Fiona yelled.

As Fiona screamed at Bark, Shadow found the perfect opportunity to attack. He threw his ball as hard as he could and nailed Bark in the back.

"Bark!" Coach Richardson announced.

Instinctively, Fiona nailed Shadow back in the face, causing him to topple over.

"Shadow!"

"Shadow!" Layla cried, running to his aid. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine!" Shadow lied.

"You're lip! It's cut open! We've got to get you to the nurse!" Layla worried.

"Layla! I'm fine! Trust me! I've had worse wounds than this; I can handle it."

In anger, Layla picked up the ball that hit Shadow, and chucked it back at Fiona at the same time that Fiona threw her ball at Layla. Their balls hit their targets at the same time, causing both of them to be out.

"Layla! Fiona!"

Finally, it was down to the last two people: Cream and Danny.

"Go Cream! You can do it!" Amy cried.

"C'mon Danny! Hit her HARD!" Fiona ordered.

Instead of chucking balls at each other, they both just stood staring at each other in fear.

_Oh Danny, I really don't want to hurt you! You're my friend! I don't care what they say, you're an awesome guy, and I don't want to go against you. _Cream thought, giving Danny a sympathetic look.

_Crap! Cream, I don't want to do this! I don't want to hit you! I don't care what Scourge and Fiona think! You're my friend, and I really care about you! _Danny thought, giving her the same type of expression.

"C'mon Danny! Just hit her already!" Scourge commanded from the sidelines.

"I can't do it…" they both murmured.

"You've got this Cream!" Sonic cheered.

Tears formed in her eyes as she began to cry. Cream darted out of the gym and into the girl's locker room.

Everyone sat in silence for a good ten seconds until Coach Richardson broke the awkwardness, "Well… okay then. The winner by default is Danny's team!" he blew his whistle and commanded, "Let's hit the locker rooms!" Coach decided as Amy, Layla, Rouge, Mina and Blaze sprinted to the girl's locker room to comfort Cream.

"I don't understand... why didn't she just throw the ball at him?" Knuckles asked.

"I guess it's a girl thing…" Sonic suggested.

**Girl's Locker Room**

"Cream! Cream, where are you?" Amy shouted, trying to follow the sound of Cream's sobs.

"Over here…" she sniffled from the far back corner of the locker room.

Approaching her, Mina asked, "Oh, Cream! What happened back there? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm alright." She assured her, trying to wipe away her tears, "I'm not really sure what happened… I just couldn't do it!"

"Did it have anything to do with that kid, Danny? Do you like hi-" Rouge questioned.

"No! No no no! Of course not!" she lied.

"Then what happened?" Blaze asked.

"Uh… well… you know me! I uh… don't usually like to hurt people! You know… I wouldn't hurt a fly!" Cream covered. "I'm sorry I lost the game for you guys. If I wasn't so wimpy we would have won!"

"Cream, we honestly don't care about losing the game! The point is, you're way more important to us than some stupid dodgeball game!" Layla told her.

"Aww thanks! I feel a lot better already! It's almost 3:30. Want to start heading back to the dorms?" Cream thought.

"Sounds like a plan!" Amy agreed. "Hey Blaze, do you know any good restaurants around here?"

"Hmm… well, there's a bunch of awesome restaurants and an amusement park on this huge pier about half a mile down the beach that is literally called 'The Boardwalk'. Last year, Silver and I practically lived off of our favorite pizza at this little shack called 'The Stinky Cheese' that's on the Boardwalk." Blaze informed them.

"Oh my gosh Ioooove the Stinky Cheese! They've got the best pizza in town!" Layla agreed.

"Then let's go there tonight! We can celebrate our survival of the first day of school!" Mina suggested.

"Yeah! Let's go tell the guys!" Rouge exclaimed in excitement.


	9. Stinky Cheese, Secrecies, and Melodies

Hiya peoples! :D Here is Chapter 8! :D Also, on my youtube channel, I added another song that goes along with this chapter! :D :D :D If you're reading this JUST AFTER I posted the new chapter, it may not be up yet (it's loading as I'm typing this!) ALSO: I was able to make a full body picture of Layla! :D It's in the video, so you should check it out! :D

**To reviewer N. Harmonik:** Look pal... no offense, but your facts were not exactly straight! Nic and Fiona were buddies, so why is it so wrong that they're friends in my story? NIC IS NOT PLEASANT! Also, I'm not a big Sally fan. I wanted to make her a bully. Why? It's my story! Please don't go hatin' on my story just because the character's interpretations are different than they are in the comics. There's this new thing called "creativity", and it allows you to change things about a story to make it to your liking! :O Another thing: I really don't like the Sonsal pairing! I like Sonamy! And there is probably another 54,836,923 other people who do too! So don't take that against me! If there was a girl out there who is exactly like Amy Rose in human form without the whole "Sonic Stalker Motive" that is me! I'm a living, breathing, walking, talking, human Amy Rose! I prettty much live my life by her ways! (why yes, I do have a boyfirend, and a bunch of awesome friends, so I am NOT a creeper!) And don't think I don't know what I'M talking about: I've been a Sonic fan since the first SEGA game that my dad gave me for my 5th birthday. I've watched every episode of every show, and read almost all of the comics. So just because my characters are not how they are in the comics, don't rip it apart in a review. You don't like how I write my story? Don't read it! Well... read it, but open up your mind to something new and fun! Sure the normal Sonic world is awesome, but try out my Sonic world for change! It might not be the best story out there, but if you give it a chance, you might like it!

This one "reply" probably is not going to change your opinion about my story, but I can't say I didn't try.

Good day and good luck to you too!

Phew! Glad to get that out of my system! :) For those of you faithful readers out there, I'm so sorry you had to see that side of me! Guess what? This chapter is where the romance picks up! :D :D :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D OOO! And don't forget to check out my youtube channel for the new song and Layla picture! :D My username is: LaylaHedgie

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Chapter 8: Stinky Cheese, Secrecies, and Melodies

**The Stinky Cheese**

"Oh my god….. so good…" Knuckles moaned, his mouth full of pepperoni pizza. Surrounding him was the rest of the gang: Rouge next to Knuckles, Tails next to Mina, Blaze Next to Silver, Shadow next to Layla, and Cream next to Amy, who was sitting as far from Sonic as possible, still being angry at him for what he said earlier.

_What does Sonic want? It's probably not good news after what happened during lunch… _she thought. Amy left her pizza untouched, getting cold on the plate as she gazed out the window at the sun that was soon to be touched by the rippling blue water. Sunset was coming near, and she needed a way to get away from the group without being noticed.

"Hey Mario! Could we get the check please?"Silver called.

"Sure thing Silver. Hey, could you introduce me to your new buddies?" the Italian golden retriever asked.

"Oh! Sorry! I totally forgot! Hey guys! This is Mario; he's one of our buddies we met last year when we were freshmen. His family has owned this place for over 50 years," Silver informed them. "Mario, this is Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Shadow, Amy, Cream, Rouge, and Mina. You already know Blaze and Layla."

"Let me guess- your brother's name is Luigi?" Knuckles joked.

"How'd you know?" Mario laughed. "No… but that'd be pretty awesome! Anyway- nice to meet you guys! Don't be strangers; you are welcome here anytime. In fact- the pizza's on me tonight! Welcome to Emerald Coast!" Mario offered.

"Wow! Thanks man!" Sonic thanked him, giving him a wink and a thumbs up.

"No problem- you all have a good night!" Mario said as everyone got up and headed for the door.

**Dorm Living Room**

Everyone except for Sonic, Amy, Layla and Shadow sat around the large flat screen TV, mesmerized by the show that they were watching. Nobody knew where the four missing friends were, but they knew that they were alright on their own.

Amy cracked open the door connecting the dorm living room to the girl's area, peering into the room to plan a quiet escape. She was ready to hit the beach to meet Sonic wearing a strapless red sundress covered in flowers, with red flip flops to match and a daisy in her hair. As much as Amy really didn't want to admit it, she wanted to look pretty for Sonic; even though she was still mad at him. She took a few steps out of the girl's wing and silently tip toed towards the back door.

Out of the corner of her eye, Cream noticed Amy trying to leave. "Amy, where are you going?" she asked.

"I'm going for a walk on the beach." She told her.

"Ooo! That sounds fun! Can we come?" Mina asked.

"I'm sorry Mina, but I really just need to be alone right now. Please don't take it personally." Amy assured her.

"Don't worry- we understand. Have fun!" Mina smiled.

"Thanks! See you guys later!" Amy sighed in relief as she walked out the back door.

She walked up the steps of the small boardwalk behind the dorm and slipped off her shoes just before walking into the warm sand, leaving them on the steps. Looking around, she saw a small dock that stretched about 50 feet out into the water. Sitting on the edge with his feet dangling over the side was none other than her hero –or whom she used to call her hero…

"Hey Ames!" Sonic grinned, offering her a seat by his side.

"Alright Sonic- I'm here. What do you want?" she questioned impatiently.

"I just wanted to tell you that I- umm…. I…. uhh…." Sonic stuttered. _C'mon Sonic! Just say it exactly how you practiced! You've got this! _

"What? Are you gonna break my heart again? Ugh! I should've known!" Amy cried, tears stinging her eyes.

"No! I… uhh…"

"Well then spit it out already!"

That was the problem: Sonic knew he wouldn't be able to say it; he's too shy. Instead of telling, he decided to show her:

Quickly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, and gently pulled her towards him, bringing together their lips for a long passionate kiss. After about 30 seconds, Sonic broke the kiss, looking deeply into her emerald green eyes.

"I love you Amy Rose." Sonic said, taking both of her hands.

"Oh Sonikku! I love you too!" Amy wailed, tears of joy cascading from her eyes as she leaned in for another kiss.

Amy jumped into Sonic's arms and he swung her around the deck, still locked in the kiss. Breaking the kiss, Amy exclaimed, "Sonic, you just made my life!" He blushed, giving her a big hug and kissing her on the forehead, letting her let out a few small sobs.

"Thanks for the magical night, but I've gotta get back to the dorm." She worried, turning away from the horizon and towards the school.

"Wait Amy! Before you leave… you want to watch the rest of the sunset with me?" Sonic asked, scratching his head awkwardly.

"He he!" she giggled, "I'd love to!" Amy sat down next to Sonic on the end of the long pier, blushing as red as the color of her dress. Just as the sun reached its most beautiful point, Sonic reached out to Amy, offering her his hand, and without hesitation Amy lightly rested her hand in his, bringing small tears of joy to her eyes. Looking into each other's eyes, they slowly leaned in for a kiss.

_Dream's really do come true… _Amy thought as she kissed her Prince Charming.

**Dorm Living Room about 5 minutes after Amy left…**

Ready for his nightly jog, Shadow slipped on a black hoodie and sweatpants as he headed for the back door.

"Hey Shadow, where are you going?" Rouge asked.

"Hmph. I'm going for a jog." He replied with no emotion as he left out through the back door without waiting for Rouge's reply.

Shadow dashed back and forth across the beach, watching the sunset while he jogged, when a pair of shadowy figures (no pun intended :P) caught his eye on the end of pier behind the dorm. Trying to make out who they were, he watched the two slowly coming together for a long kiss.

_Wow… way to go faker! I knew you had it in you! _He thought, grinning at the sight of Sonic and Amy finally together. He knew Sonic had feelings for Amy, but he was just too shy to admit it. Shadow didn't seem like the type to care, but inside, he knew about most of the feelings of his friends.

When Amy stood up and began to walk away, Shadow took off in fear of being spotted just before Sonic asked her to stay and watch the sunset.

Heading back to the dorm, Shadow walked up the beach passing the 1A side of the huge house, when suddenly, he heard a voice in the distance. _Where is that coming from?_ Shadow wondered, following the sound of the angel like voice.

**Back at the Dorm…**

Layla sat by her white grand piano which she set up outside on her balcony which faced the beautiful blue ocean. To her joy, Eggman made sure her piano was brought to her dorm by the end of the night; he knew her favorite thing in the entire world was to play music while enjoying the sunset each evening. It made her happy in such a lonely life of lies.

Resting her fingers lightly on the keys, Layla began to play on her favorite songs as she sang:

_*Listen to "Somewhere Only We Know" by Keane and Natasha Bedingfield cover on my youtubr channel **LaylaHedgie***_

Shadow began to get closer and closer to the source of the sound, and eventually, he found himself below Layla's balcony. _Is… is that Layla? Her voice… it's so beautiful! _He thought to himself with wide eyes. _Is she singing "Somewhere Only We Know?" That's my favorite song… _Quietly, he hid beneath the balcony, singing the lyrics as she sang from above, creating her own twist to the accompaniment.

After listening to her sing the first verse, Shadow could not contain himself; he began to sing loud and proud, not caring if he sounded good or not.

Scared out of her pants to hear another voice singing, she stopped singing herself. After a moment, she thought _Whose voice is that? They sound great whoever it is… and they know all of the words and pitches to the original version. Maybe I'll help them out! _Deciding to help Shadow, Layla stopped playing her twist of the song on the piano and began accompaniment from Keane's version as Shadow continued to sing.

Completely sucked into the music, Shadow didn't even realize that Layla had stopped singing, or that she began playing the original version on the piano. Pouring all of his emotion into the song, he sang:

_*Song transitions into Shadow (Keane) singing*_

Determined to finish the rest of her version, Layla continued off of Shadow's last note, and continued where she left off before Shadow began singing. Quickly and swiftly, she transitioned back into her own version, letting the music take control.

_*Song transitions back to Layla (Natasha Bedingfield) singing*_

"Wow…" Shadow said aloud, revealing himself from below the balcony.

Layla gasped at the sound of his voice, "Shadow?" she asked, glad to know it was him. "That was _you?_"

Wanting to be able to talk to her face to face, Shadow teleported onto the balcony, making Layla's eyes widen to the size of ping pong balls.

"HOLY CRAP!" she shrieked in shock. "How did you just do that?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention that I could teleport? It's one of my abilities. I can also travel through time if another person induces chaos control at the same time as me." He informed her.

"Wow! That's so awesome! I can't tell you how many times I could have used that... why didn't you just teleport us out of the courtyard earlier?" she questioned jokingly.

"Well, sometimes teleporting isn't the fastest getaway, and it draws a lot of attention. But more importantly… how did you learn to sing like that? I had no idea you could sing! You sounded beautiful." he complimented, making her blush as red as the streaks in her dark brown hair.

"Aww! Thanks Shadow! But… if _somebody _didn't decide to ditch chorus … Shadow… they would have heard me earlier!" she joked.

"Dangit! Really? Guess who's _not _ditching chorus tomorrow?" he laughed, making Layla blush harder.

"But seriously Shadow!" she squealed, "Your voice is AMAZING! Where did _you _learn to sing like that?"

"Uhhhh… I honestly have no idea. I thought my voice sucked."

"Are you kidding? That was INCREDIBLE! I'm so proud of you!"

Shadow blushed and said, "Thanks Layla."

"You know, you were just playing my favorite song."

"No way! That's my favorite song too!" Layla cried.

"Really? Well, I think you sang it better than Keane." Shadow complimented.

"Thanks… I'm not that good…" she admitted.

"Well you're better than me!"

"Oh, shut up! You're voice is amazing, and you know it!"

Shadow blushed and said, "Thanks Layla."

"No problem! I'm surprised that Eggman hasn't come to check on me yet. I really hope he doesn't… I don't want him to interrupt our fun!" Layla worried.

KNOCK KNOCK! came from the door as if on cue. "Really? REALLY?" Layla asked aloud.

"Layla? Can I come in?" Eggman asked from the other side.

"Uhh… just a minute! " she stalled. "Great! Eggman's here at the wrong time again… I'm soo sorry!" Layla whispered.

"It's fine, I'll just jump off the balcony!" Shadow joked in a drugged up voice, making Layla laugh, until she realized he was really going to jump.

"Shadow! Are you crazy?" she asked.

"Why yes, yes I am!" he told her smoothly, jumping over the side and making a perfect landing.

"I'll give you a signal when he's gone!" she informed him.

"Layla? What's taking you so long?" Eggman questioned impatiently.

"Oh! You can come in now!" she cried as Eggman opened the door.

"I just dropped by to check on you… and to make sure you're keeping your promise. You haven't told anybody your secret, have you?" he asked.

"No! Why the heck would I do that?" she lied.

"Good." He sighed in relief.

"Sooooo" she said to break the awkwardness, "How was _your _first day? Did you see anything bad going on?"

"Actually yes, I did." Eggman admitted. "I caught a student ditching class; he was rude, selfish, and egotistic. His name is Shadow the Hedgehog, and I want you to avoid him Layla; he looks suspicious, and he is a bad influence.

"Shadow the Hedgehog… hmmm… never heard that name in my life!" she lied again, making it completely believable.

"Well that's a good thing. Then at the end of second period, there was this giant red bubble that engulfed the courtyard! I have a feeling that Shadow kid had something to do with it! He seems like the type." Eggman accused.

"I wouldn't be throwing around accusations that quickly Doc. I would just let it go; it was probably a senior prank." Layla suggested.

"Perhaps it was. Well, it's getting dark so I'm going to go back to my dorm. Remember, stay away from Shadow!" he instructed, pointing his index finger at her.

"Sure! Will do! You can count on it! Okay, well… see you later! Bye! Good night! Hasta luego! Aloha! See you tomorrow! Bon voyage! Goodbye!" she rushed, literally pushing Eggman out of her room and quickly shutting the door behind him, leaning against the door in relief once he was gone. Quick like a bullet, Layla ran back to her balcony. "He's gone! You can come up now!" she yelled, instantly causing Shadow to teleport back into her room.

"Man that was close! I'm so sorry about him! He's so embarrassing!" she apologized.

"Don't worry about it. I'll be honest- I'm not a big fan of Eggman." Shadow admitted.

"Trust me, I don't blame you, but it doesn't sound like he's a big fan of you either. He told me to avoid you because he thought you were a bad influence. "she sighed, walking towards the end of her bed, sitting down on the edge. "What am I going to do now?"

Slowly, he followed taking the spot next to her on the bed, "Well are you going to listen to him? You shouldn't take anymore crap from him, Layla. He's not even your real father! Plus he's a fudgebag…" Shadow commented.

After considering Shadow's argument, Layla's eyes filled with anger as she rebelled, "You know what? You're right! I shouldn't take anymore crap from him! The only thing that I've been known as around here is "Dr. Eggman's goody-goody daughter", which has only brought me pain and humiliation. I'm done!" she cried. "And I don't want you out of my life because of Eggman, Shadow! I've only known you for 2 days, but I've already gotten to realize how special you are. You're too awesome of a guy for me to lose! I don't care if he locks me in my room for weeks; I'm still going to be friends with you." She assured him.

Shadow blushed and said, "I'm really glad you feel that way Layla, because I was wondering… maybe after school sometime… do you want to hang out? We can play around with our powers and maybe even sing some more. What do you think?" Shadow asked nervously.

"I'd love to!" Layla exclaimed excitedly, letting out a high pitched giggle as they stared into each other's eyes. After about 30 seconds, Layla broke the silent awkwardness and said, "Hey, Shadow? I've got a question for you."

"Hm?"

"Do your friends know that you're the Ultimate Lifeform? I mean, you all seem to have powers; Sonic has super speed, Tails can fly, Knuckles is super strong… " she asked out of curiosity.

"Yes, they all know. They're my friends, and I trust them. But… I was told not to tell anyone else."

"Who told you that?"

"Alright I'll tell you, but this is classified information, so you can't tell anyone, or we could be in _major _trouble. And I mean _MAJOR_."

"Okay…" she said in confusion. _What more could he possibly be hiding? _She thought.

"Okay- Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Cream and were sent to Emerald Coast High School by a secret military agency known as GUN."

"You were sent here by GUN? Shadow! You know _they _were the ones that destroyed our home!" Layla gasped.

"Yeah, I know, but trust me: they did it for a good purpose. It was secretly a a giant floating cannon ready to destroy earth."

"WHAT!"

"Uhh… I'll tell you the whole story later, but we were sent here by GUN because they noticed a large power source that was so huge, it could be a danger to the students here. GUN told me that the only living thing in existence that could create that much energy was me, but since I'm the o- Uh oh…."

"What?" Layla asked eagerly.

A flashback of the meeting with GUN rushed through his mind:

_"Well, when I have a chaos emerald, I can create unnaturally large power surges, but I can only do it because I am the only Ultimate Lifeform."_

KNOCK KNOCK! Came from the door once more, interrupting Shadow's thoughts.

Rolling her eyes, Layla cried, "Come i-"

Interrupting Layla sentence, Amy let herself in and asked, "Hey Layla, have you seen- oh Shadow! There you are! Cream's mom on video chat through Tail's laptop, and she wants to talk to check up on us." She lied.

"I'll be right there. Give me five minutes." Shadow requested as Amy nodded in acknowledgement. _Ugh… what do those stupid GUN agents want now? _"I'm sorry Layla, I-"

"No! Don't worry about it! How about you and I hit the beach this weekend?" she suggested.

"Sounds like a plan." He smiled. "Well I'll see you tomorrow then. Good night." Shadow said, getting off of the bed and slowly walking towards the balcony.

"Good night!" Layla said, waving and watching as he walked away. "Oh, Shadow! Wait!" she called. Before Shadow could fully turn around, Layla was already in his arms. As she hugged him, she told him, "Thanks for being you; the awesome, amazing you that you are."

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**At long last... SONIC AND AMY ARE A COUPLE! :D :D :D SHADOW CAN SING! Eggman wants Layla to stay away from Shadow... :( TOO BAD SHE WON'T LISTEN! :D What does GUN have to say? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehog, High School, and Drama! (I absolutely LOVE writing that at the end of each chapter! It makes me feel like the nerdy awesome dude at the end of each episode of Sonic X) Haha, well I'll have the next chapter up by Christmas! But I'll say it now: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! (Or to those of you awesome people who live in the U.K: HAPPY CHRISTMAS!) :D **


	10. GUN Video Chat

Hiya peoples! Guess what? WE HAVE OFFICIALLY GOTTEN 50 REVIEWS! :D :D :D :D THANK YOU SOOOOOOO MUCH FOR THOSE YOU WHO HAVE REVIEWED! THIS WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE WITHOUT YOUR AMAZINGNESS! I love you all... only a few stories can actually say they have 50 reviews. This is more then I could have ever dreamed of! :D Thank you sooooo much! :D

Also: I would like to dedicate this chapter to 2 very special people

First, **Cstan: **thanks to this wonderful reviewer, the story was saved because they were able to catch my HUGE mistake of leaving out the MOST IMPORTANT CHAPTER! (which by the way, thank you for your forgiveness!) So... if it wasn't for them, the story would not be where it is today!

Second, **GalexiatheChao: **this girl is amazing! Just flat out awesome! She made me an AWESOME, AMAZING, WONDERFUL FRABJOUS picture of Danny the Bunny! :D :D :D You should see it! It's epic! :D :D :D Plus, she's an awesome friend! :D If you would like to see her awesome masterpiece, here's the link:

.com/photos/57362024N03/5284434286/?reg=1&src=comment

I'll post the next chapter tomorrow, so you'll have some piece of mind before Christmas! :D

To anonymous reviewer **wind dragon**, there will be some Tails and Mina action! :D :D The wait is almost over! :D :D :D I put it in there just for you! :)

So... enjoy! :D Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 9: GUN Video Chat

**Tails' Room**

Taking his time for his disrespect of GUN, Shadow walked through the 1A wing towards Tails' room. Opening his door, his jaw dropped to find his room already a replica of his lab back home. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge and Cream stood around his laptop; on the screen, the two GUN agents that met with them two days before.

"Alright, I'm here. What's up?" Shadow asked in annoyance. _Stupid GUN! Those morons totally ruined my night with Layla…_ he thought.

"We just wanted to check up on you guys. How do you like school?" the GUN agent on the left side of the computer screen asked.

"I'm having a great time!" Amy said, eyeing Sonic.

"Oh yeah; about that: Nicely done faker. I knew you had it in you," Shadow complimented, softly punching Sonic in the arm, making him blush in embarrassment.

"What's he talking about, Sonic?" Tails asked, giving Shadow a weird look.

"You can tell them Sonic." Amy insisted, making Sonic sweatdrop. Slowly, Sonic walked over to Amy, putting his arm around her waist and holding her hand.

"Amy and I are in love; we're going out now." Sonic informed them, as Amy kissed him on the cheek, making the whole room gasp in shock.

"Wow… it's about time!" Knuckles joked, giving Sonic a congratulatory man hug.

At the same time as Knuckles, Cream ran to Amy, squealing, hugging and jumping simultaneously. "I'm so happy for you two!"

"So Shadow, how _did _you find out we were going out before everyone else?" Sonic asked, scratching his head in confusion.

Thinking back, Shadow remembered, "Uh…well I was on a jog and I was passing by the pier behind the dorm, and-"

"WHAT! YOU WERE WATCHING!" Sonic cried, balling his hands into fists and charging at Shadow as Amy shrieked, pulling out her hammer.

"HEY! WOA! SONIC AND AMY! We'll let you two love birds put the pound on Shadow in a minute, but please answer our question! Have you guys made new friends?" one of the GUN agents asked.

"Yeah, we've met a group of pretty cool people." Rouge agreed.

"Yeah, but thanks to your schedule matching, not only have you put us in classes with our new friends, you placed us in classes with some real smartassy jerks! Do you realize you've plunged us into a huge drama circle?" Knuckles shouted.

"Well jeez. We're sorry… it's not like we have profiles on each and every person in Mobius!" the other GUN agent argued.

"Uhh, actually boss, we do." The left GUN agent confirmed.

The GUN agent to the right rolled his eyes and yelled, "Well… that's not the point! Have you guys seen anything or anyone suspicious around?"

"Hmm… the group of kids we were talking about earlier: Scourge, Fiona, Nic, Nack, Sally, Bark and Danny; the entire day the only thing they wanted to do was beat up on this girl we met, Layla."

"Okay; watch out for them, and remember: part of your mission is to be a body guard to anyone there at Emerald Coast. So, that means to protect her too." The GUN agent to the left clarified.

"Also, have you seen anything that may have to do with the power source? Today around noon, the energy level at the school was off the charts! We almost decided to come to the school to start evacuating students!" the GUN agent to the right shrieked.

"That's funny… I didn't see anything unusual." Tails said.

"Me neither." Sonic said.

_Oh great… Layla and I were testing out our powers in the oak tree around noon! _Shadow thought.

"The force of the energy was too much for our sensors to handle. It's almost like the power doubled in strength! I've never seen anything so powerful!" the GUN agent gasped.

"It's probably coming from Scourge and Fiona somehow! They _are_ the biggest suspects." Rouge suggested.

"Well it could be that creep Eric!" Amy argued.

"What about that punk Danny? He always acts too innocent!" Knuckles added.

"I know it's not Danny! He's my friend!" Cream cried, as everyone started yelling out accusations.

"Hey, morons! I know what it is." Shadow finally spoke up to get everybody to shut up.

"Why didn't you just say that before? What or who is it?" the GUN agents interrogated.

"I'm sorry, but I can't tell you." He simply said.

"WHAT? WHY NOT?" they both yelled.

"I just can't. But I can tell you this: it's not anyone from Scourge and Fiona's gang." Shadow informed them.

"Shadow buddy, this isn't a game. We have to know; the people here could be in danger!" Sonic argued.

_Please faker, how could anyone be afraid of me and Layla? Well… we are the most powerful beings to ever walk Mobius…_ Shadow thought about saying. "Sorry, I'm not going to tell you anymore."

At sight of Shadow's response, Knuckles fumed with anger and screamed, "WHY I OUTTA-"

"Easy Knuckie! I've got this," she told him, making him back away from Shadow as she stepped forward. "ARE YOU CRAZY? I'M INSULTED! YOU'VE NEVER KEPT SECRETS FROM ME BEFORE! WE'VE BEEN ON THE SAME TEAM FOR YEARS AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME FOR BEING A LOYAL FRIEND? I'M DISGUSTED!" she cried, lifting Shadow by his shirt collar and slapping him across the face.

"See, I told you nothing good could come of wearing clothes." Sonic proved.

"Hey faker?" Shadow said in between blows.

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Alright then." Sonic agreed without argument.

"Rouge!" Amy yelled, pulling her off of Shadow. "This is only making the situation worse! Shadow, we really need to know what or who it is." She calmly informed him, "Could you please tell us?"

"Alright! Alright! I'll tell you, just not tonight! This isn't _my_ secret to share, and if you guys were _real_ friends, you would respect that."

"We're sorry Mr. Shadow." Cream apologized.

"Yeah, sorry Shadow…" the rest of the group joined in.

"Just give me time; I will tell you all as soon as I can." Shadow gave in.

"Okay, Shadow." The GUN agent to the right agreed, "Let us know ASAP. We will be available for video chat whenever you need us. Until then, have fun at school. Over and out!" he said, signing off of video chat.

"Uh… I'll be right back." Shadow said, bolting out of Tails'room and back towards the girl's wing of the dorm. _I have to talk to Layla. Maybe she'll let me tell the others._ He thought as he approached Layla's door. "Hey Layla? You in there? Can I come in?"

_Yay! Shadow's back! _"Door's open!" she cried happily as Shadow entered.

"Layla, there's something really important I need to talk to you about." Shadow rushed worriedly.

"What? You've come to tell me you're a Justin Beaver fan?" Layla joked.

"No! I hate that little wood chucking twerp! Although, for a beaver he does have a pretty awesome haircut…"

"Quite true…" she admitted.

"But seriously! This is urgent! It's about our mission, and it involves you."

"Oh boy… this outta be good. Okay- give me the dibs!" she told him, going down to sit on her bed and offering him the spot on the bed next to her.

Gladly, Shadow took the spot as he questioned, "Well, you know how we were sent here to investigate the energy source?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I figured out what it is…" he informed her.

"Okay, well what is it?" she asked.

"It's _you_ Layla." he confessed.

Layla's eyes grew huge as she put her hand over her gaping mouth. "WHAT?"

"When I was GUN's base, they showed me a chart of the energy levels produced by you –or what they thought was the power source- which almost exactly matched my power level. Then today around noon we started testing our powers in the oak tree, and GUN just told us that they noticed the energy levels growing dangerously high; of course, this happened at the same time that you and I were in the courtyard. Our energy bubble must have spiked the sensors down at GUN headquarters." He explained, his argument making perfect sense.

"Oh my gosh… what have I done?" she cried, looking at her hands in shame. "They must know my secret! Oh man, Eggman's gonna kill me!"

"Layla, everything is fine! I'm the only one who knows about this! Those idiots down at GUN couldn't figure out how to use a microwave! Let alone wipe the dribble of drool running down their chin! It would take them _years_ to figure out that there is a second Ultimate Lifeform!" he comforted.

"Then why did you come to me? What did you need from _me_ out of this? You obviously didn't come down here to just inform me of the situation!" she interrogated.

"Well… I just wanted to tell you that… it might be smart to tell the others about your secret. They might be able to help hide you from the military." He suggested.

"Shadow, I-"

"Layla," he said, putting his finger over her lips. "Trust me, I am your friend; they are your friends! I trust them with my life… and right now… I kinda am trusting them with it! We're both in this boat together; after the little incident in the courtyard, I became part of the problem too! Sonic and the others wouldn't turn me over to GUN for anything." He assured her.

"But Shadow! You don't understand! If our secret was to get out somehow, the military would come for us: both of us; they'd lock us up forever in Area 99 and they'd run test after test on us to see how we "work". We're future technology that they could research for years! If someone were to slip and say the wrong thing, _that_ would be our fate!" she worried.

"Yeah Layla, I know, but that won't happen! Trust me!" he insisted.

Layla sighed in defeat; she knew there wasn't any way to win this battle, "You really trust these guys, Shadow?"

"With my life," he responded subtly.

"Alright… then I do too." She said, grabbing his hand in a tight grip, causing a small crimson ball of light to appear in each of their free hands like before.

"Remember, I'll be with you every step of the way," Shadow assured her, gripping her hand tighter and pulling her in for a hug.

"Pinky promise?" Layla asked, holding out her pinky.

"Pinky promise." Shadow pledged, interlocking his pinky with hers. He finally started to realize that pinky promising wasn't as gay as he thought.

* * *

**Awwwww! Sonic and Amy told the group that they were officially a couple! :D Yay! Will Shadow and Layla tell Sonic and the others? Find out next chapter! :D :D :D**

**Quickly, I want to recommend a few funny Sonic videos on youtube!**

**NEEDLEMOUSE: THE MUSICAL**

**A Day In The Life: Sonic's 19th Birthday Contest**

**Trust me, if you really love Sonic, and you've been a fan through all of the years like me, you'll think those are hilarious! :D**

**Have a frabjous day! Please read and review! :D :D :D Next chapter should be up tomorrow! :D**


	11. Science and TryOuts

Hiya peoples! I am sooo sorry I didn't post this chapter before Christmas! On Christmas Eve morning, I woke up to find my laptop completely 100% frozen. Task manager wouldn't pull up, and when it did, it said "Windows Task Manager Not Responding." When that happens, that means two words: You're screwed. BUUUT... on the plus side, I was quite surprised to find a new laptop under the tree with my name on it! :D So I can promise you that the unreliable computer issues won't happen anymore! :D

Also, something really funny: my sister knows how big of a Sonic fan I am, so she got me red extra high top converses with a white tongue, so they look like Amy Rose boots! XD

Anyway, I know a lot of people were complaining about me posting music lyrics, but I fixed it, and now my story is 100% music lyric free! :D

So, here is Chapter 11! Oh! Happy Chapter Eleveniversary! :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day!

* * *

Chapter 11: Science and Try-Outs

**Ms. Allen's Class **

"Welcome back to another wonderful day at Emerald Coast High School!" Eggman exclaimed over the intercom as the Sonic gang sat impatiently in Literature class. "Here are some announcements: Football and Cheerleading try outs will be held tomorrow afternoon for anyone who is interested." He informed the school, instantly making Sonic and Shadow look at each other in interest. "Also, Guy's Pep Squad (where 4 guys paint themselves the blue, grey and white (school colors) and cheer for the football team in the student section) try outs are tomorrow afternoon as well. So… pretty much anything to do with Friday Night Football is holding try outs tomorrow! Also, next Friday afternoon, Ms. Peterson will be holding auditions for our upcoming production of the musical "Wicked". There are 3 leading roles: two female parts and one male part. So for all of you future Broadway stars, we hope to see you there! Well that's all for today! Have a good day!" he said, hanging up the intercom.

"Oooo! I am sooo doing cheerleading!" Amy squealed.

"As much as the word "pep" makes me cringe, I wouldn't mind trying out too, Amy. Plus, those uniforms would look fabulous on me!" Rouge said excitedly.

Shadow and Sonic stared at each other as if they were waiting for someone to say something. "I call QB!" Shadow told him, making Sonic slam his fist on the table.

"DANGIT!" Sonic cried, glaring at Shadow in jealousy.

**Meanwhile in Science with Tails, Mina and Cream…**

"Alright class, I've got a meeting to go to, so I'm going to trust you all to behave by yourselves. If anyone leaves this room, you will have detention. Do I make myself clear?" asked Mr. Andrews. After receiving 20 nods, the navy blue and white weasel left the room with a mug of warm coffee in his hand, heading towards his meeting. About 30 seconds after the door shut and the students heard the sound of his footsteps fade about half of the class got up and left for the dorms. Being the good kids as they were, Tails, Mina, Danny and Cream stayed along with about 6 other kids.

Mr. Andrews let the students pick their own seats every day because he knew what it was like to be stuck with a crappy lab partner: miserable. That day, Mina was partners with Tails, and Cream was partners with Danny.

When Scourge and Fiona weren't around, Danny tried to spend as much time with Cream as he could since they banned them from being friends.

"Thanks for not pounding my face in with the dodgeball yesterday. That was really sweet of you." Cream thanked him.

"No problem! I didn't want to hurt you; even if it was just a ball. Thanks to you too! I really like my face. Thanks for sparing it." He joked, making Cream blush. Quickly, Cream's smile turned to a frown as she deeply sighed.

"What's wrong? You okay Cream?" he asked sympathetically, putting his hand on her shoulder.

"Oh nothing… I just miss my chao, Cheese. They wouldn't let me bring him here." She explained, the thought of Cheese not at her side bringing tears to her eyes.

"You have a chao? No way! Me too! High five!" Danny cried, giving Cream a high five while shocked at the fact of Cream owning a chao.

Cream perked up, "Really?" she asked in excitement.

"Yup! Her name's Lulu, and she's a hero chao. I'm in the same boat as you: they made me leave her home because they didn't want pets in the dorms." He said, looking down to the ground in disappointment.

"Gosh… you must miss her terribly." Cream assumed.

"Yeah, I really do; Lulu was like my best friend. I've never left her since the moment I first got her." He informed her.

"Me too. Cheese meant the world to me. Maybe over Christmas break, we could have a chao play date! You can bring Lulu over and she can play with Cheese while we hang out." She suggested.

"I'd love that, and so would Lulu!" Danny excitedly exclaimed.

_I wonder how Mina is doing with Tails._ Cream thought, looking over at the pair to see Tails working on some metal box as Mina happily observed next to him. He had packed the necessary tools and brought them to Science to show Mr. Andrews, who was very impressed with Tails on the first day of school.

As Cream watched, she was too far away to actually hear the conversation, but she could tell that they were having a good time. Every few seconds, Tails would say something and Mina would giggle in response, and then she would reply and he would either blush or laugh.

"So what's that you're working on Tails? Whatever it is, it looks pretty complicated!" Mina asked in interest.

"I'm working on a base design for hydropower hover shoes for Sonic in the water. Since he can't swim, I'm making him these so he can hang out with all of us in the water at the beach." Tails explained. "These shoes will enable him to hover over the water and still allow him to run at maximum velocity." Tails talked in a nerdy way, leaving Mina staring blankly. "I'm sorry… I'm going all geeky on ya."

"Oh no! It's fine! I like hearing you explain things like that to me… its pretty awesome. So Sonic would be able to run at his top speed in these shoes? That's so cool! Tails, you're a genius!" Mina exclaimed looking at the complicated blueprints lying out across the table.

"Thanks Mina… it's not _that _great of an invention." Tails blushed as Mina handed him a wrench.

"You know, I can run pretty fast myself. I mean, not as fast as Sonic or Shadow or anything, but I guess faster than normal. I don't like to tell many people that though; I'm pretty shy, but thanks for being so nice to me. You're one of the few people who I've opened up to around here."

"No problem! You're one of the nicest people I know." Tails complimented, making her blush.

"Where did you get all of this stuff? Where do you have the time and space to work on this kind of stuff?" she asked eagerly, wanting to know more.

"Well, back at home I've got my own lab that's probably the size of a football field, but since I'm gonna be away from home for a while I built a smaller replica inside my dorm." He explained.

"Wow Tails! That's awesome! You've gotta show me sometime! Do you think you could pull some strings and give me a behind the scenes tour?" she joked.

"Hmmm I'll pencil you in." he joked back, causing both of them to laugh until Mina began to talk again. While Tails went back to work, Mina quietly hummed a tune to herself, making Tails start to tap his foot and swing his Tails to the beat.

"Watcha singing?" he asked Mina.

"Oh, I was just humming the pitches to "Defying Gravity" front Wicked." She informed him, blushing that he noticed she was singing.

"Well you sounded great!" Tails exclaimed, giving her a warm smile.

"Really? Thanks! I've got a question for you." She said.

"Okay, what's up?"

"What do you think of me auditioning for Wicked? I mean, I know I probably won't get a main role against Layla and Fiona, but-"

"Mina! That's a great idea! I was actually thinking of working stage crew; I've got some pretty good ideas for the technology and engineering part of the set." He informed her. "Plus- I think you'd make an amazing Glinda."

"Awww! You really think so Tails?" she asked humbly.

"I know so!" he assured her.

"Aww… thanks Tails! You're the best!" she cried, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug, making them both blush.

**Next day: Football Tryouts**

"Alright guys! Let me see what you've got! Guys wanting to play defense: left end zone! Offense guys: right end zone! Let's move out!" yelled Coach Richardson at the group of about 50 guys standing along the sidelines of Land Shark stadium. Sonic and Shadow quickly followed orders, dashing at supersonic speed towards the right side of the field. Coach Richardson slowly followed, on the way instructing the players to get in a line. At the front of the line stood Shadow, who was wearing shoulder pads, a helmet and an old blue and grey ECHS uniform.

Sitting and watching nervously on the empty bleachers were Rouge, Amy, Knuckles, Silver, Mina, Tails, Danny, Cream, Blaze and Layla. Since Fiona and Scourge were sitting and making out in Scourge's room, Danny found it okay to leave and hang out with the Sonic gang; they didn't even notice he was gone. Although they found Danny hanging out with their crowd suspicious, they still cautiously welcomed him to hang out, but that didn't mean they didn't watch him to make sure he didn't try to pull anything.

"You ready, kid? Your pretty scrawny lookin' to try out for the football team, don't you think?" he asked insultingly, looking down at Shadow in superiority. "Well, whatever. So here's what's going to happen: you need to pick a partner. Then, you and your partner are going to run a play: one of you is QB; the other is a wide receiver. The quarterback will through the ball to the WR at least 10 yards ahead, after that, the wide receiver will run the ball 10 yards. Once reaching that point- if you can even get there- the WR will through a backwards lateral pass to the QB, and then run it for another 5 yards, letting the WR get a small lead. Then, the QB will do a handoff to the wide receiver, and they will run it into the end zone for a touchdown. Any questions?"

"Uhh…" Shadow zoned out, completely confused by his football terminology.

"Good! Let's start! Oh, and by the way: we'll be timing and recording you. We've got camera men and timers set all around the field. Go on hedgehog! Choose a partner."

"C'mon Shadow! You've got this!" Layla cried at Shadow, making him smile and blush underneath his helmet.

"Alright Sonic, you ready?" Shadow asked Sonic with his hands on his knees, crouching just behind the football.

"Let's do it." Sonic agreed, as Coach Richardson blew his whistle for them to begin. Quickly and perfectly, Sonic and Shadow maneuvered the play; Sonic is the wide receiver and Shadow as the quarterback. Coach Richardson hadn't even finished blowing his whistle by the time they were in the other end zone.

In shock, Coach dropped his whistle the ground and looked at his stop watch: 1.16 seconds.

"Hey camera man! Did you get that all on tape?" Coach asked the golden retriever standing behind the huge tripod.

"Yup, I got everything." He clarified, motioning him towards the camera. Slowly, the two watched Sonic and Shadow's play frame by frame, soon to realize that they pulled it off perfectly.

"That's- that's incredible!" Coach Richardson cried in excitement as he grabbed his megaphone off of the bench and shouted, "Attention! I have a very important announcement!" Layla and Amy grabbed each other's hands in suspense, wanting their boyfriend and best bud to make the team. "For the first time in Emerald Coast High School history, we have sophomores as our star wide receiver and quarterback! Sonic and Shadow the Hedgehog will be our starters every Friday night!" he exclaimed as Layla and Amy squealed from the bleachers while everyone else cheered and clapped.

"Wooo!" Sonic cheered running laps in celebration around the field; the only thing people could see was a blue blur zipping around and around. In excitement, Amy and Layla ran onto the field to congratulate them. Amy instantly ran to Sonic, giving him an overbearing Amy Rose trademark hug.

"Oh Sonikku! I'm so happy for you! You'll be the best wide receiver ever!" she cheered, kissing him on the cheek.

"Thanks Ames. I hope you make the cheerleading squad!" he hoped, hugging her tightly.

"Thanks Sonic; I hope so too. If I do, we'd be like the ultimate high-school-preppy couple! The cheerleader dating the football star… oh Sonic, can't you just picture it? It'd be sooo adorable!" Amy squealed in glee, making Sonic blush and roll his eyes in a "that's-so-typical-Amy" kind of way.

"Shadow! That was incredible! Congratulations Mr. Quarterback!" Layla cried, running up to Shadow where he stood with waiting open arms. Jumping into his arms, he held her tight, spinning her through the air in celebration. While in the embrace, he thought _I've never felt so happy around anyone before… has she brought out another side of me?_

"Thanks Layla. Would you like to join me in a victory lap?" he asked, extending his arm in invitation while looking into her eyes. Completely lost in his gaze, Layla zoned out, unable to respond.

"Shall we?" he asked again, to get her attention. Coming back to earth, Layla smiled and blushed.

"We shall." She responded in a cliché way, linking arms with him as they jogged/ skipped/ danced around the field like a pair of idiots hyped up on Red Bull.

"Hey Sonic, wouldn't Shadow and Layla make the perfect couple? I mean- they've only known each other for 3 days, and they're already best friends." Amy pointed out.

"Sure; I guess they'd make a good couple. Shadow acts so different around her; it's like he's actually happy. Look at him now!" Sonic realized, pointing to Shadow and Layla who were skipping around the perimeter of the field, dancing, joking around and making funny faces, acting like total retards together. Eventually, Shadow said something, making the two falls against each other for support because they were laughing so hard. Shadow and Layla acted as though they had known each other for months; years; decades; an entire lifetime.

"I don't understand; I've known Shadow for years and he's never opened up to me like _that_ before. I'm not jealous; I'm happy for the guy, but I think it's just odd the way he just suddenly came out of his shell for Layla. Maybe they have something more in common." Sonic thought, when-

"Amy! We're going to be late for cheerleading tryouts!" Rouge cried from the bleachers.

"Okay! I'll be right there!" she replied, "You coming with us?" Amy asked Sonic.

"Sure, why not? I don't want to miss yourtry out." Sonic smiled, taking Amy by the hand and walking towards the rest of the group, leaving Shadow and Layla laying on the empty side of the astroturf field, gazing at the clouds and laughing their butts off.

Passing by the practice field, the Sonic crew saw an orange echidna wearing nothing but swim trunks covered in flowers standing alone on the field next to a few buckets of paint and a bunch of blue white and grey swim trunks laying all across the grass. At sight of Sonic, Amy, Cream, Danny, Silver, Blaze Mina, Tails, Rouge and Knuckles, he quickly ran to catch up with them.

Approaching the group, he pointed at Danny, Tails, Knuckles and Silver and instructed, "Hey you four! Come here and try these on for me!" Holding up a bathing suit, he motioned towards the field.

"Uh… okay. Sure." Knuckles agreed, walking towards the field. "I'm Knuckles, and this is Danny, Silver, and Tails."

After about 2 minutes, Danny, Knuckles, Silver and Tails were shirtless with the swim trunks on, standing in a line in front of the echidna. "It's a perfect fit!" he exclaimed, receiving weird looks from them.

"I think this dude is on something…" Knuckles whispered to Silver.

"By the way, my name is Coach Watson. Due to lack of interest, you four are the new Pep Squad! Congratulations!" he exclaimed.

"WHAT!" the four cried as Sonic, Amy, and Rouge fell on the ground dying of laughter.

"That's right! You four are stuck being the Pep Squad! Cheerleading tryouts are happening in about 10 minutes in the gym, and since I'm also head coach of the cheerleading squad I have to get down there right away, so… I had to pick people to do it, and you four are the lucky winners!" he exclaimed in a somewhat gay voice. Still receiving gaping expressions from Silver, Tails, Knuckles and Danny, he explained, "Look, Pep Squad isn't as hard as you think; it's actually pretty fun! Every football game, you four stay after school with about 4 or 5 friends of your choice and paint yourselves blue, grey or white; each of you will also paint a letter on your chest to spell out ECHS. Danny, you can be the 'E', Silver the 'C', Knuckles the 'H' and Tails the 'S'. Then, that night at the football game, you guys will stand in either the students section or by the cheerleaders and keep the crowd motivated and on their feet. Got it?" Coach Watson asked.

"Uh… okay." Silver agreed.

"Woooo! I get to be shirtless! This'll be awesome!" Danny cheered enthusiastically.

"And if you want… you can even get a few girls together, get them in cheerleading shorts and tank tops and use them as the exclamation points… but you didn't hear that from me!" he informed them, Cream and Mina instantly raised their hands in interest.

"Well I've gotta run to cheerleading tryouts! See you fellas at the game!" he shouted as he jogged towards the school.

The second he was gone, Sonic went up to Knuckles and joked, "Guess Amy and Rouge aren't the only cheerleaders in our bunch! Nice swim trunks Knucklehead! Those flowers look really manly!"

"Grr… shut up Sonic!" he hissed.

**Cheerleading Tryouts**

Around the large wooden gym, dozens of girls stretched, flipped, cart wheeled, and shouted, waiting for the tryouts to begin. Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Silver, Danny, Cream, Blaze and Mina let Amy and Rouge go to prepare for the tryouts while they sat on the bleachers and watched.

"Alright girls! Find a partner and come up with a routine! You have 10 minutes, and you will be judged on the loudness of your voice, enthusiasm, movement, and activeness! Get started!" shouted Coach Watson over a megaphone. Instantly, Rouge and Amy ran to each other, ready to practice.

"This'll be a synch; we do flips and stuff all the time in fights," Rouge said.

After about 10 minutes, Coach Watson came back on the megaphone, and shouted, "Okay girls! Time to start! Who wants to go first?" he asked, getting no volunteers.

About half a minute of silence went by, until Amy grabbed Rouge's arm and raised her hand, "We'll go!" she volunteered.

"AMY!" Rouge yelled.

"Ooo! You were just volun-told Batgirl!" Knuckles shouted from the bleachers.

"Shut up Swim Trunks! I'll show you!" Rouge taunted. Standing up at the front of the gym on the cheerleading mat, Rouge shouted, "5-6-7-8!"

"Pound the Panthers! Eat the Knights! C'mon Land Sharks Fight! Fight! FIGHT!" they both cried, doing a back flip while waving their pompoms in the air, landing in a spilt. Getting up, Amy cupped her hands as Rouge sprinted towards her, jumping into her hands and launching her into the air, doing a series of flips until she hit the ground, landing on her feet. While Rouge was in the air, Amy did a cartwheel triple front handspring, landing right behind Rouge as they both screamed, "GO LAND SHARKS!"

Gaping, Coach Watson stood clapping vigorously, "That was amazing! You two definitely made to squad! Congratulations girls!" he informed them, making Rouge and Amy squeal in joy. Overjoyed, the two ran back to the bleachers to their friends.

"Congrats Ames! You were amazing out there!" Sonic told her, giving her a hug.

"Aww thanks Sonic!" she blushed, hugging him tightly.

"Wow Rouge… you really proved me wrong." Knuckles admitted, "You were incredible!" He said, giving her a half hug.

"Thanks Knuckie. Never thought I'd hear you tell me_ that_ before." She realized, hugging him back.

"Well I'm just stating the facts. You were pretty awesome."

"No, I mean calling me Rouge. You didn't call me 'Batgirl'." She pointed out, putting her hand to his forehead to see if he had a fever. "Are you okay? That wasn't like you at all."

"Well maybe I'm ready to end this constant battle. Plus, we're going to be living here together for the next year to 3 years, so we're going to have to learn to put up with each other. What do you say? Truce?" he asked, offering his hand to shake.

Rouge stared at it for a good 5 seconds before questioning, "Is this an excuse to hold my hand Knuckie? You little creep!"

"No! No you crazy Batg- Rouge! Why would you think that?" he shouted defensively as he thought _Yes it is…. no, no! No Knuckles! Stop! You don't like her!_

"Okay then! Truce!" she declared shaking his hand awkwardly. Breaking the awkwardness, Rouge leaned in for a hug, as did Knuckles. Not even realizing it, they stood for about 15 seconds hugging, until-

"Well look who's oddly out of character!" Sonic interrupted, making Rouge and Knuckles quickly break apart in embarrassment.

"Heh, I think we've _all _been a little out of character since we first got here." Knuckles joked.

**Back with Shadow and Layla…**

Back at Land Shark Stadium, football try outs had been long over, but Shadow and Layla remained lying on their backs on the field on the 50 yard line, right smack in the middle of the ECHS logo.

"Hey Shadow- I think I'm ready to tell them." Layla informed him, rolling over onto her stomach, looking at Shadow with a smile of excitement.

" Hmph?" he simply replied, too caught up in looking at her to comprehend what she just told him. "What are you talking about?" he asked, rolling over as well.

"You know! Telling Sonic and the others my secret. Maybe even Silver, Blaze and Mina too. They might as well know; no point in hiding it from them too."

"Really? Alright, let's tell them tonight." Shadow agreed.

"Shadow- you swear they won't tell GUN?" Layla asked in cautiousness.

"I swear on my life." Shadow reassured her.

"Pinky promise?" Layla asked again.

Shadow chuckled, "he he he," he laughed.

"What?" she asked, confused by his amusement.

"Why do you do pinky promises, Layla?" he questioned.

"Well… I don't know. I always thought of it as a true friend making an unbreakable promise, because locking pinkies means 'friendship'. So, I guess it means two friends promising on their friendship… making the pledge even stronger." She explained.

"Wow, never looked at it that way before." He realized.

"Well?"

"Well…?"

"Pinky promise?" she asked, holding out her hand.

Smiling back at Layla, looking into her deep violet eyes, Shadow locked pinkies with her as he pledged, "Pinky promise." Even after his promise, Shadow stood staring, breath taken by her beauty.

_Am I in love?_ They both thought, looking into each other's eyes.

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**Yay! Done with Chapter 11! Will Layla build up the courage to tell the gang her secret? Find out next chapter! :D (which should be posted tomorrow or Wednesday! :D)**


	12. Confession

Hiya people! :D :D :D No big important memo this time... but at the end of this chapter, please read my note because I'm going to need opinions. :) Thank you!

Here's Chapter 12! Enjoy and have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 12: Confession

**Dorm Living Room**

"So Layla, we're all here. What did you want to tell us?" Sonic asked, surrounded by Tails, Silver, Blaze, Rouge, Amy, Knuckles, Cream, and Mina in the Dorm Living Room later that afternoon.

"I have something really important that I need to let you all in on, but it's top secret, so if anyone, and I mean ANYONE finds out other than you nine, my life and even Shadow's could be in danger." She informed them, receiving confused glances from everyone.

"Huh? First off- nine? Isn't there 10 of us excluding you?" Rouge asked, recounting everyone to make sure she was correct.

"Well… I kinda already told Shadow because it pertains to him." Layla told them.

"Oh… I know! You must be a Justin Beaver fan too! Hey Shadsy! You're not alone anymore!" Sonic joked, getting evil glares from Shadow.

"I ALREADY TOLD YOU! I'M NOT A BEAVER FAN!" Shadow growled.

"Trust me, I hate Justin Beaver as much as the next guy, but this is serious!" Layla said again in annoyance, making her even more unsure about telling them. Suddenly, she found herself engulfed in fear, turning to Shadow with tears in her eyes and whispering, "I can't do it… the risks are too high, and they're goofing around!"

Putting his hands on her shoulders in comfort, Shadow assured her, "You can do it; I know you can. They're always like this... even Sonic. He may seem like a wackjob most of the time, but when the time comes to be serious, he's the first grow up."

"I know, but what if he's just joking around and it slips out?" she asked in worry.

"Don't worry; Sonic would never joke about something so serious. Neither would anyone else." He told her, looking straight into her eyes.

"But are you sure I can trust them?" she questioned once more.

"Yes." he told her with a warm smile.

"Okay, Shadow… thanks." Layla smiled back, giving him a hug. Slowly and cautiously, Layla walked back to the group, followed by Shadow whose hands were still on Layla's shoulders to assure her that he was still there.

"Go ahead, you can do it." Shadow whispered into her ear in encouragement.

Nervously, Layla stepped forward to the group, "I am the second Ultimate Lifeform," she admitted.

Suddenly, everyone gasped, gaping at Layla in shock.

"No way!" Tails gasped, followed by the rest of the group except for Silver, Blaze and Mina, who sat confused.

"Yeah… way." Layla giggled, happy to have gotten it off her chest.

"Oh! I read about another Ultimate Lifeform online! Were you the one after Project Shad-…." Blaze stopped in realization, pointing at Shadow and said, "You're the other Ultimate Lifeform aren't you?"

"Yes." Shadow clarified, actually forgetting that they didn't know about him either.

"But, I don't understand!" Amy exclaimed in confusion, "GUN shut down Space Colony ARK after Project Shadow! How did you-"

"Dr. Robotnik created me after seeing the success of Shadow, wanting to further advance his technology. When the day came that he was ready to awaken me, GUN invaded, so he quickly put me –who was still dormant- in my life-containment cell inside a secret indestructible steel safe in hopes that someday someone would come find me. About 50 years after Space Colony ARK was completely shut down, Eggman –whose grandfather happened to be Dr. Robotnik- found more of his secret video diaries, telling him about me. So in response, he went to Space Colony ARK and was able to find the safe, awakening me. So…. Here I am!" she smiled.

"Wow… that's incredible. Who knew after all those years the old man still had more hidden diaries. You're lucky to be here Layla." Sonic admitted. "So Shadow has some super powers like we do; you must have some too, especially since your future technology. What are yours?" he asked in curiosity.

"Well, using my boots, I can run at supersonic speeds like Shadow, and I can also induce chaos control the same ways as him, but I can do a few extra things." She informed them.

"Like?" Rouge asked.

"Like turning invisible, and I seem to be able to produce more energy than Shadow through my hands. Oh yeah! See the hearts on my gloves?" she asked, holding out her hands, "They glow and produce rays of energy which I can use to shoot at my enemies in battle. On the first day of school, I told Shadow my secret because we got in a little mix-up with Scourge, Nack, Bark and Danny, so I had to use my powers and he saw, making me have to tell him. Then, we discovered that when we hold hands, our powers are compatible, and we can also do things that we ourselves couldn't do alone."

"Can you show us?" Knuckles wondered out loud. Nervously, Layla looked back at Shadow for an opinion. Nodding, he took Layla's hand and they closed their eyes, concentrating on channeling their energy. Suddenly, the hearts on Layla's gloves began to glow a soft red, while Shadow's hands did the same, which quickly grew into small balls of red energy. As the two raised their hands slowly, the crimson spheres grew, soon engulfing the living room, making everyone gasp in awe.

"Amazing…" Silver mumbled as they watched, completely astounded as the energy shield quickly swallowed the entire dorm. After about 2 minutes of letting everyone see their power, Shadow and Layla let go of each other's hands, instantly causing the shield to shrink back into their palms.

"That's insanely awesome! Can you guys do anything else?" Mina questioned.

"Well, we figured out that my powers work on him if we hold hands. So if I go invisible…" she explained, clutching her chaos emerald charm necklace as she cried, "Chaos Clear!" Quickly her whole body went completely transparent as she grabbed Shadow's hand, causing him to invisible as well. "Shadow will too." She continued, still completely transparent. After the second demo of powers, Layla shouted, "Chaos Solid!" bringing them back to normal.

"Well that's pretty much it! Thanks so much for not making fun of me or judging me or anything. You have no idea how nervous I was." She admitted, "Thanks to Shadow, I was able to have the courage to tell you."

Shadow blushed, looking at Layla with loving eyes and a warm smile.

"Wait a second… you said that you and Shadow figured out some of your powers by testing them out on the first day of school? When exactly was that?" Tails asked as thought he had just realized something significant.

"Uh… it was around lunchtime, why do you ask?" Layla wondered. _Oh my gosh… _Tails thought with wide eyes. _Layla… she's the energy source! We have to tell GUN!_

"Well… uh…" he stuttered, leaning over to Sonic and whispering in his ear, "Sonic can we tell them about the mission? I think I just figured out something big…"

"Hm… alright, but just them and nobody else." Sonic agreed.

Tails sighed, taking a deep breath and explained, "Well, you see, we were actually sent here by GUN, a military organization that-"

"I already told her about the mission." Shadow interrupted.

"WHAT! SHADOW! That was classified information!" Tails shrieked.

"I know… but I had to tell her!" Shadow exclaimed. "She had the right to know! Layla's now a part of this too!"

"I know why you did; I don't blame you," Tails sighed, knowing that Shadow was right to tell her.

"Would somebody PLEASE explain to me what is going on!" Silver shouted, hating being so confused. Quickly, Sonic gave the quick explanation of the mission, still telling all of the important facts and what they were looking for.

"You guys… Layla and Shadow are the energy source…" Tails informed them.

"Well, we have to tell GUN." Rouge demanded.

"NO! PLEASE DON'T!" Layla cried.

"Why not? It's not that big of a deal!" Knuckles argued.

"Do you realize what would happen! Technically, I don't exist! The military doesn't know about me! Do you know what would happen if they found out that Robotnik created a _second _Ultimate Lifeform?" she cried, furious and worried, "They'd come for us –even Shadow- and they'd lock us up in a secret hidden military base like Area 99! They would run tests on us day and night, trying to figure out our powers and we'd live in captivity! It would ruin our lives! Please don't tell them! They would misunderstand me and find me as a threat!"

"Guys, take it from another Ultimate Lifeform: don't tell GUN. Layla's right: they _will _misunderstand her. Look at what happened to me; when they found out that Robotnik created me, they went to ARK, arrested Robotnik, shut down the place, and most importantly… they killed the only person I had ever cared about: Maria…" Shadow remember, his voice trailing off. In paining memory, Shadow fell to the floor with tears in his eyes as he balled his hands into fists. "Maria…." He mumbled.

"Shadow! Shadow! What's wrong! Are you okay?" Layla cried, kneeling down beside him in comfort, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm... I'm fine…" he lied, fighting off tears, "Just don't let what happened to me happen to you." He said as Layla stroked his face, wiping a tear off his cheek. "Sorry, it's still really hard to talk about Maria."

"Don't worry about it." She smiled at him. Shadow couldn't help but smile back; he loved her smile.

Standing in the corner of the room, Knuckles stood with his arms crossed, "But guys? What about the mission? We have to tell-"

"No." Sonic interrupted, sticking his arm in front of Knuckles.

"But Sonic… the mission! We have to-"

"No Knux. She's right." Sonic defended calmly, walking over to Layla and giving her a half hug. "You guys, GUN _will_ misunderstand. We have to protect her."

"Thanks Sonic." Shadow said, happy that Sonic decided to step up.

"Count me in too!" Amy cheered, running over to Layla for a hug.

"Me too!" Cream followed.

"Same here." Rouge stepped up.

"Count me in!" Tails jumped up in excitement.

"We'll help too! We might not be able to do much involving the military… but we'll still fight to the end!" Silver assured them, alongside Blaze and Mina.

"Knuckles?" Sonic asked Knuckles, as he stood trying to fight the crowd.

"C'mon Knuckie!" Rouge called.

"Yeah! C'mon Knuckles!" Mina cheered.

"Alright… alright…I'm in." Knuckles gave in, as Layla ran to him, giving him a huge hug.

"Thank you!" Layla cried as Knuckles hugged her back.

"Don't worry Layla, your secret is safe with us." Sonic assured her, bringing tears of joy to her eyes. She could finally be accepted by her friends for who she was.

"Thank you! Thank you all!" Layla cried.

"Hey you guys! We should hit the beach tomorrow! We can spend the whole day swimming, relaxing and having fun on the beach! What do you think?" Mina suggested in excitement.

"Ooo! That sounds like fun! I can teach you how to swim, Sonic!" Amy giggled in delight.

"Uh… no thanks! This guy wants to stay dry!" Sonic joked as everyone got up and walked to their designated dorm areas; the girls in 1B and the guys in 1A, but of course they didn't go to bed. All of the girls went straight to Amy's room.

As Shadow headed towards the guy's dorms, he only had one thing on his mind: Layla. He couldn't get her out of his head. For the first time in his life, Shadow was in love. (A/N: Yeah… I know Shadow loved Maria, but to me, that was more of a best friend type of love and not really a relationship type of love since she was so young. However, I think the couple Shadow x Maria Robotnik the Hedgehog is adorable!) Happy, yet confused, Shadow need advice, so who else to go to other than the ladies' man himself? "Hey Sonic? Got a second?"

"Uh, sure Shadow. What's up?" asked the blue blur, guiding Shadow back to his dorm room to talk.

* * *

**LAYLA TOLD HER SECRET! :D Will they be able to keep it?**

**Alright... it's decision time: I don't know if I should continue to support the couple Tails x Mina... It's getting harder to write about a couple that just doesn't fit, you know? Mina is so fun and outgoing while Tail is more layed back and it's hard to mix those kind of people together without completely ruining someone's character. For some reason, I really want Mina and Ash to be together, and then Tails could be with Cosmo. Maybe. SO this is where you guys come in... in a review, could you guys tell me whether you think I should a) keep Tailsmina or b) get rid of Tailsmina? Thank you so much! I want to write a story that would make you guys happy, so I'm going to let you decide! **

**Chapter 13 should be up within the next few days! :D**

**Thank you! Please review! Have a frabjous day! :D**


	13. PreFight Advice

Hiya people! :D Here's chapter 13! :D And for those of you who didn't see my review for the last chapter, I've decided to keep Tailsmina a couple. :D I didn't know that so many of you liked it. Soo, here's Chapter 13!

Have a Happy New Year and a frabjous day! :D Enjoy! :)

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Chapter 12: Pre-Fight Advice

**Sonic's Room**

"What's up Shadow?" Sonic asked, offering Shadow a seat on his bed.

"Well, since I feel like I can trust you the most, I need advice. It's a guy to guy thing." Shadow said, sitting down.

"You, Shadow the Hedgehog, getting advice from _me_? That's funny. Sorry, whatcha need?" he questioned.

"Well, I think I'm in love with Layla… but I just don't know how to tell her how I feel. How did you do it with Amy?" Shadow asked.

"I actually really don't remember… I didn't really tell her, I showed her."

"How?"

"Well, I was too shy to say it, so I just acted at the moment and kissed her." He explained.

"Hmph. I don't know if I should do that with Layla; I'm not even sure if she likes me back." He thought.

"Shadow, trust me, she does." Sonic assured him.

"How do you know?" Shadow interrogated.

"It's obvious! I've never seen anybody click that quickly! You two were born to be together. And no offense, but you're making it pretty obvious yourself too," Sonic admitted, making Shadow blush in embarrassment.

"What do you think I should do? I want to ask her out somehow, but I don't want to just flat out say it, you know?" he told him as Sonic nodded in understanding.

"I think you need to do what I do: just act on the moment! When the time comes, you'll know what to do."

"Thanks Yoda…! What the hell?" Shadow joked.

"That did not sound like Yoda! _This _sounds like Yoda: Time when it comes, know what to do you will!" Sonic mocked, making Shadow laugh.

"Well thanks Faker. I knew I could count on you." Shadow said, grinning at Sonic.

"No problem, Shadow." He told Shadow, giving him his signature wink and thumbs up.

**Meanwhile with the girls in Amy's Room…**

"So Layla… I think we've all noticed something you've been hiding." Amy informed Layla, surrounded by Blaze, Mina, Cream and Rouge who were all in pajamas sitting on Amy's bed in her dorm.

"Well you all just found out my biggest secret! What more could I possibly be hiding?" Layla joked.

"No, there's another thing!" Amy giggled.

"We're talking about the chemistry between you and Shadow!" Rouge exclaimed as though she was pointing out the obvious. "You two have been spending a lot of time together. You two are obviously in love; don't try and deny it."

"Well… maybe. I don't know…" she lied, trying to hide her emotions.

"Layla… trust me. We know. Admit it; it's not a crime to be in love." Blaze assured her, trying to convince her to confess.

"Alright! Alright! I like Shadow… more like I _really_ like Shadow." She admitted getting a chorus of "aww" from her friends on the bed. "But I'm too nervous to say anything. What if he doesn't like me back?" she worried.

"Layla, he obviously likes you too!" Mina argued, "Remember the way he comforted you? He held your hand, gave you hugs, put his hand on your shoulder. You guys have only known each other for four days and you're already best friends! It's like you were made for each other!"

"Technically Mina, we were." Layla realized as everyone giggled at the coincidence. "I just don't know how to let him know how I feel."

"Don't worry, Shadow doesn't seem like the type, but he'll make a move when you least expect it." Rouge assured her.

"Really?" Layla asked in hope.

"Oh yeah. I've known Shadow for years, and he's been known to do some pretty unexpected things, right girls?" Rouge questioned allowed for Amy and Cream.

"Tell me about it…" Amy agreed, rolling her eyes, "He's done some things that'll scare you out of your pants."

"Shadow's mysterious. Just let him do his thing, and soon enough, he'll make his move." Rouge told her.

"You really think so Rouge?" she asked.

"Of course." She said, making Layla smile.

"Thanks guys. You're the best friends a girl could ask for." Layla smiled. "Hey! Anyone auditioning for Wicked?"

"Oooo! I am!" Mina exclaimed, raising her hand high in the air enthusiastically. "But I know I have absolutely no chance against you and Fiona…"

"That is such a lie!" Layla cried, playfully hugging Mina as she assured her, "You're amazing! What role did you want to go for?"

"Well, I kinda wanted to be Glinda; that's what Tails said I should do." Mina giggled, thinking about Tails.

"Ooo! So you've been hanging with Tails, Mina?" Amy gossiped.

"Yeah… he's my lab partner. He's so sweet, smart and funny!" Mina informed them, chuckling in delight as she reminisced their conversation.

"Do you like Tails?" Layla interrogated, punching Mina lightly on the shoulder.

"Maybe… he's really sweet, and funny, and smart and cute, and sensitive, and handsome and- yes, I like him." she admitted, catching her breath after her long list. "I think Tails and I just naturally fit together, ya know?"

"Wow… looks like we're all confessing things!" Blaze joked.

"Thanks for the reminder Blaze! Your turn!" Amy cried as Blaze waited for her question. "Do you have feelings for Silver?" she asked.

"No! No no no! That'd be weird! That's like going out with my brother…" Blaze told them, making a weird expression.

"It's okay if you like Silver, Blaze. You don't have to be shy around us." Cream comforted, trying to make Blaze feel better about sharing her thoughts.

"Guys, I swear! Silver's my best friend and that's it! No strings attached!" she defended.

"Okay… whatever you say Blaze!" Rouge joked, getting defensive glares from Blaze.

"What about you, Rouge? You and Knuckles have something… we saw you two at the cheerleading tryouts!" Blaze remembered.

"What? Me and that knucklehead? Puh-lease!" Rouge lied as everyone sat staring at her, waiting for her to confess. Finally, she spilled, "Alright… maybe a little. But who cares! I know I don't! Yeah, that's right! I DON'T CARE!"

"What about you Cream? Meet any guys that you like?" Mina asked Cream, making her blush as red as Amy's dress.

"Well… I did meet this one guy…" she confessed, her face still as red as a tomato.

"Well who was it?" Layla asked.

Cream sighed as she admitted, "Danny the Bunny."

"WHAT!" everyone cried in shock.

"Uh… Cream? If you haven't noticed… he's kinda one of the bad guys…" Amy pointed out, trying not to disappoint her too much.

"Yeah, he's sorta one of our enemies, Cream." Mina informed her.

"I know, but just because he hangs with Scourge and Fiona it doesn't mean he's like them. He's actually really nice; he just doesn't know better! Danny didn't really have any real friends at first, so he went to Scourge and Fiona thinking that they would make him popular. I know he cares about me as a friend! And I care about him too…" she told her friends.

"But Cream, did you think that Scourge and Fiona might be using Danny become friends with you to infiltrate the group?" Layla wondered.

"He would never do that to me. I just know it!" Cream argued.

"Well, Danny was pretty cool earlier at football tryouts." Blaze pointed out, receiving nods of agreement throughout the room.

"That's true. Well, it's your choice. We're your friends, and whatever choice you make, we will happily stand beside you in support." Layla assured her, bringing a huge smile to Cream's face.

"Aww thanks guys! Don't worry, I'll be careful!" Cream promised. "Amy, you're the only one who didn't confess something. Don't you have something to tell us?" she asked as everyone's attention turned to Amy.

"Oh yeah! Here it is:" she began, taking a deep breath, "Sonic and I are getting married!" she squealed happily, jumping and dancing around the room.

"Really? Isn't it kind of early for Sonic to propose?" Blaze asked in confusion, giving Amy puzzled look.

"Oh, Sonic doesn't know yet." She admitted. "But I'm already planning our happily ever after!"

"Aren't we all?" Layla sighed, instantly thinking of her crush. _Shadow….._ She thought as she stared out the window at the full moon.

_Layla…. _Shadow thought, gazing at the moon from Sonic's room at the same time as the girl he loved.

"Layla? Laaaayyyllllaaaaaa?" Amy taunted, bringing Layla back to earth.

"Oh! Sorry! Just looking at the moon… it's so pretty when it's full like it is tonight." Layla said, pointing out the window.

"Hey guys! I've got an idea! Let's get the guys and have a pillow fight in the living room!" Amy suggested in excitement.

"That's an awesome idea! Do you want me to call Silver?" Blaze asked, pulling out her cell phone.

"No need- I've got a better idea." Amy plotted with an evil grin on her face.

**Sonic's Room**

"Yoohoo! Earth to Shadsy!" Sonic joked, zoning Shadow back in.

"Whu- what? Sorry…" Shadow apologized, when suddenly the door slammed open and in walked Amy holding a pillow under her arm.

"Hey Ames… why'd you slam the door? Wasn't that kinda unnecessary?" Sonic asked as Amy held her pillow high over her head and Blaze, Layla, Rouge and Cream ran in, armed with their pillows.

"Now!" Amy cried, chucking her pillow at Sonic, as everyone did the same, except Layla, who threw hers at Shadow.

"Oh man…. This means _war_!" Sonic yelled grabbing his pillow as the girls ran out of the room towards the living room. "Shadow! Cover me!" he shouted, running out of the room as Shadow shrugged, dashing to his bedroom to grab his pillow while Sonic went banging on the other guy's doors screaming, "PILLOW FIGHT! GIRLS VS. GUYS!"

One by one the guys shot out of their rooms, rocketing into the living room as the girls ran away.

"Amy! I'm gonna getcha!" Sonic taunted, dashing after Amy, easily racing in front of her to bring her to a sudden halt. Back and forth the two playfully slammed pillows at each other until Sonic ran circles around Amy, causing her to fall to the floor in dizziness. At her downfall, Sonic dropped his pillow on top of her nauseated body, putting one foot on her stomach and flexing his biceps, showing off his muscles.

"Okay Sonic… you win…" she moaned as Sonic offered her his hand to help her up. Taking it, Amy pulled him down to the ground as well, pouncing on top of Sonic and tickling him until he couldn't breathe.

"Amy! WOOOOOAAAHOOO! THAT TICKLES! AMY PLEASE! I CAN'T BREATHE! WAAAAAOOOOO!" he cried, Amy still tickling him, his face turning purple.

"Hmmm… nope! Don't think so!" she tested, tickling him harder as she attempted to pin him to the ground.

"AMY! ALRIGHT! ALRIGHT! YOU WIN! STOP!" he laughed so hard that he was crying as Amy got up, helping him to his feet.

"Okay then, what's my prize?" she asked in a flirty way. Not responding, Sonic put his hands around her face and pulled her in for a quick kiss, making her heart flutter in happiness.

"Blaze? Where are you?" Silver called, looking around the room for Blaze, who was hiding. Suddenly, she jumped from behind the couch, launching her pillow at Silver. About a foot before the pillow hit his face, he threw his hands out in front of him as a bluegreen glow surrounded it, stopping it in midair. As he flung his arms at Blaze, the pillow followed his path, flying towards her. In protection, Blaze quickly drew her hands in front of her face, when suddenly a tiny flame grew to a large fire in her palms, lighting the pillow aflame. Before it hit the floor, Silver used his telekinetic powers to raise it above the ground as Blaze attempted to draw back her flames.

"Uh…. Sorry about that Silver…" Blaze apologized awkwardly as the flames slowly died down off of his pillow.

"Don't worry about it! That was the most epic pillow fight ever and now I have something to remember it by!" Silver exclaimed excitedly, running to pick up his burnt souvenir.

Stupidly and openly, Knuckles crept around the living room, pretty much just waiting to get beat upon. Rouge- who was hanging from a shadowy part of the ceiling- dove down diving on top of Knuckles, punching and kicking the crap out of him with her bare fists. (Well bare fists with gloves! :P)

"Rouge! What the heck are you doing! This is a pillow fight! Where the crap is your pillow!" Knuckles interrogated with his pillow ready to be thrown at her face.

"Pillow fights are for wimps! If you were a real man, you would have taken the punch!" Rouge informed Knuckles, turning her nose up at him in a flirty way.

"I could take your punches all day!" Knuckles told her, brushing the dust off his fur.

"Oh really? Wanna go?" she flirted, running her gloved finger down his cheek, making him blush as red as his fur.

"Alright! Bring it on!" he agreed as Rouge quickly pulled a random pillow off the couch, chucking it at his head as hard as she could, making him topple over as he saw stars. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT ABOUT!"

"What? You said this was a pillow fight, right?" she asked, "I was just following what you said."

"Grr! Come here!" he cried, getting up and diving at Rouge, tackling her as he gave blows to her head with his pillow in a playful way as she hit him back, laughing in enjoyment.

"Hey Cream! Want to go after Tails with me?" Mina asked, motioning towards Tails who was running towards her with both tails spinning in excitement.

"Oh, no thanks. I'm not really the fighting type; you go ahead. I'll watch!" Cream encouraged, "Go have fun with Tails."

"Oh, okay!" Mina smiled, dashing towards Tails. With a plan already in his head, Tails flew as high as the ceiling would allow, throwing his pillow at her as she quickly dodged each blow almost as fast as Sonic. After a few attempts of hitting Mina, Tails landed safely back of the ground as Mina stalked towards him with her pillow held high above her head. Beginning to run faster, she suddenly tripped over a chair, falling on top of Tails, making him fall to the floor on his back.

Looking up into her deep emerald eyes, Tails was completely lost in her beauty before he finally asked, "Are you okay? That was some fall!"

Unable to respond, Mina was lost in her imagination as she looked into his bright blue eyes; she'd never felt so safe in anyone's arms. Blushing, she smiled back at him and responded, "Yeah… thank you for catching me! Sorry I tackled you! I didn't mean to hu-"

"It's fine; don't worry about it! I'm just happy you're okay!" Tails smiled, once again zoning into her mysteriously beautiful green eyes.

Across the room, Shadow and Layla were fighting like a brother and sister would: no mercy. "Chaos control!" Shadow shouted holding up his green chaos emerald, slowing down time as he slammed Layla in the stomach, making her laugh in competitiveness.

Wanting to make the game more interesting, Layla cried, "Chaos clear!" making herself turn completely invisible; the only thing you could see was a black, red and purple pillow being swung around. Attacking at full strength, Shadow chucked his pillow at her invisible body, until he finally heard her voice.

"Shadow!" she coughed in pain, "That's too hard…."she moaned, laying on the ground as she became visible once again, clutching her stomach as she groaned.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Shadow panicked, quickly rushing to her side on the ground, taking the pillow out of her arms and grabbing her hand.

Smiling in success, she said in her normal voice, "Oh yeah, I'm fine!" as she quickly stood up. As fast as she could, Layla dashed circles around him until she was 100% sure he was confused.

"Gotcha." Layla whispered in Shadow's ear after suddenly stopping behind him, wrapping her arms around his waist for a hug.

After about an hour, everyone collapsed on the living room sofas in exhaustion. The gang eventually fell asleep to the TV; Amy fell asleep holding Sonic's hand, leaning against his chest, both with soft smiles on their faces. Cream slept across Mina's lap, while Mina herself leaned against Tails' shoulder. Rouge and Knuckles were on the same couch, but they tried to stay as far away as they could from each other; however through the night they got closer and closer. Blaze crashed on Silver's legs, their hands looking like they were reaching for each other. Not even realizing it, Layla fell asleep in Shadow's lap; her head snuggled against his chest.

_"Shadow!" Layla yelled at the end of a long corridor. "Shadow help!" she screamed, by her side were two GUN agents, one holding a loaded gun against her throat. Next to GUN agents laid Maria, dead in a pool of blood with bullet holes in her neck._

_"Layla!" he cried afraid that her fate would match Maria's. Dashing down the hallway, he kept shouting her name, but no matter how fast he ran, he wasn't going anywhere._

"_Shadow!" she shrieked, as he continued to try to run, but was unable to get any closer. "Shadow! Help! Shadow!"_

"_Hold on Layla!" he yelled, attempting to run faster, but still going nowhere._

"_Shadow! Help!" she cried; tears forming in Shadow's eyes as he refused to accept defeat. Slowly, the GUN agent began pulling the trigger._

"_Layla!" he screamed for the final time before- BANG!_

Shadow's head shot up like a rocket from the back of the couch; his forehead covered in sweat as he took deep, heavy breaths. _It was just a dream… she's safe…_ he thought in relief. Silently, he gazed down at Layla find her smiling in her sleep, snuggling up against his chest with one of her hands lightly resting in his. Slowly and carefully, Shadow pulled her closer; making sure no one would take her away from him again.

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**Done with Chapter 13! :D What will the morning bring? Find out in the next chapter! Please review! Have a frabjous day! :D**


	14. The Morning

Hiya people! :D Sorry this update took almost a week to post the new chapter, but here it is! :D Enjoy and have a frabjous day! :D :D :D

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Chapter 13: The Morning

**Dorm Living Room**

Layla blinked a few times, unsure of where she was, until she looked up to see Shadow, and at that moment she didn't care where she was; he was there and that's all she needed. Waiting for her to wake up, Shadow sat smiling at her.

"Good morning." Shadow greeted.

"Morning..." Layla yawned.

"I've been waiting for you to wake up; you looked so comfortable that I just couldn't do it myself." Shadow told her, making her smile.

"Well, your chest is pretty darn comfy." She joked, still lying across his lap.

"Glad you think so." He joked back, laughing at her awkward statement.

"Psst! Shadow!" Sonic whispered, trying not to wake the others, including Amy, who was still gripping his hand and laying across his lap, leaning against his chest. "Get your camera out! It's blackmail time!" he joked, pointing to Knuckles and Rouge who were still asleep. Rouge was leaning against the red echidna's chest while Knuckles had his arms wrapped around her as if he was protecting her from something; it was adorable, yet hilarious.

Grabbing pillows, Shadow, Sonic and Layla sat scream-laughing into the couch cushions to contain their laughter. Silently, Shadow ran to his room grabbing his Polaroid camera. (the funnest kind of camera! :D) Sonic dashed around the couch with Shadow's camera, taking pictures as if he was bombarding them like paparazzi; each picture falling to the floor as they slowly developed. Finally, one developed; Shadow picked it up, looking at it as he fell to the floor in silent laughter.

"Dude! Let us see!" Sonic demanded, still trying to hold in his laughter as Shadow handed them the picture while laughing to the point of tears. Taking a good look, Sonic and Layla fell to the floor as well, joining Shadow in a series of silent sobs of laughter.

"You guys are horrible…" Layla laughed, punching them both softly on the shoulder. "A guy shouldn't be embarrassed about love." she argued. After about 5 seconds of silence, the 3 broke out in laughter; the thought of Knuckles and Rouge being together a complete joke to them.

"We've got to show Tails!" Sonic whispered turning to the couch Tails, Mina and Cream were on the night before to find Tails and Mina missing, but Cream still fast asleep across the sofa. "Hey, where are Tails and Mina?"

"I don't know… Layla whispered.

**Emerald Coast Beach behind the dorm with Tails and Mina…**

"Thanks for doing this Mina! Are you sure you want to do it? It could be dangerous since they're so new." Tails asked.

"Of course! How many times do I get to test out a pair of hydropower hover shoes? This is going to be soooo awesome!" Mina exclaimed as Tails handed her his latest invention.

"Awesome! Are you ready?" Tails questioned, helping Mina up after she slipped on the sneakers.

"Yupper doo! Let's do this!" she screamed, ready for anything that could happen. Slowly and cautiously, Mina stepped into the water as Tails pressed the 'on' button on his remote. Suddenly, Mina rose from the water about 10 feet from the shore.

"Awesome! You're hovering! Now let's see if you can run!" Tails tested as Mina waved in acknowledgement of his request. Without warning, Mina took off like a bullet, dashing above the crystal blue water just under the speed of Sonic.

"They work! How are ya doing out there Mina?" Tails yelled to her, watching her long beautiful, purple hair blow in the wind atop the crystal clear ocean.

"They work Tails! They really work!" she cried waving her hands around the air as she ran in celebration. "The water's fine!" Overjoyed by the success of his invention, Mina rocketed back to shore towards Tails, quickly wrapped him in a hug as they danced along the beach. "Oh Tails, I'm so glad we're friends! I don't know what I would've done if I had never met you!"

"I'm glad we're buddies too! Thanks so much for testing these out Mina. Sonic's gonna love 'em!" Tails exclaimed.

"No problem! Whenever you need someone to test out your inventions, you know who to come to!" Mina assured him, making him smile.

"Hey Mina?" Tails asked.

"Yes, Tails?"

"Promise we'll always be buds?"

"Of course!" Mina exclaimed, hugging him in assurance.

"C'mon, let's get back to the dorm. I bet Sonic and the others are wondering where we are about now." Tails suggested, pointing back towards the dorm.

"Okie dokie." Mina agreed, taking Tails' hand as they walked across the sand back toward the dorm.

**Back at the dorm…**

Sonic, Shadow and Layla scrambled, trying to hide all evidence of the scene so they could keep the pictures a secret from Knuckles and Rouge. Sonic knew how much Knuckles just _loved _surprises, especially at the absolute worst time possible. Quickly, Shadow threw his camera under the couch cushion, along with all of the pictures as he climbed back on the couch in the same position he woke up in. Layla followed, lying back across Shadow's lap and leaning back up against his chest like she did before. Carefully, Sonic lifted up Amy in a bridal position, sitting back on the couch as he delicately rested her across his lap, taking her hand like when he awakened. All three pretended to go back to sleep as Rouge and Knuckles woke up. Surprised that they actually pulled it off, Shadow began to giggle to himself. Getting him to shut up, Layla silently punched him in the stomach, making him smile at her adorable attempt to hit him.

"Ugh..." Rouge moaned, blinking herself awake, trying to figure out what was going on. "Ummm… hey Knuckie? What are you doing?" she asked awkwardly as Knuckles began to wake up.

"Woa! Uh… I can explain… actually no not really. No not at all… I have no idea." He stuttered, unable to explain himself. "Well lucky for us nobody saw; everyone's still asleep." Knuckles informed her, sighing in relief, making Sonic, Shadow and Layla chuckle silently to themselves. Layla nuzzled herself completely into Shadow's chest to hide her laughter, as Shadow hid his face in her hair.

"Ugh…" Amy yawned, secretly cueing Sonic to start "waking up". "Good morning Sonikku."

"Good morning Amy." Sonic said, yawning and stretching as if he just woke up; he was a pro.

"Good morning Knuckles. Rouge. How did _you two _sleep? Nice and cozy over there?" Sonic joked, being only one understanding the joke causing Layla and Shadow laughed silently.

"Oh yeah. We- I mean _I… _I slept fine." Knuckles stumbled, trying to hide what had just happened from Sonic.

"Yup. Nice and comfy on my side of the couch." Rouge covered, patting the pillow on her half of the sofa.

"Good morning guys." Silver said, trying not to wake Blaze, who eventually transitioned to his lap sometime in the night.

"Morning Silver, and what a lovely morning it is… with all of us here… together… some of us closer than together." Sonic laughed, as tears ran down Shadow and Layla faces, who were still containing their giggling.

Silver looked at Sonic, completely confused by his wording, "Uhh… yeahh… it is."

"Good morning sleeping beauty." Shadow joked as he and Layla pretended to get up again.

"Morning, Shadow. Your chest is quite comfortable." She said, mocking herself from 15 minutes ago.

"Glad *stifled chuckle* glad you think that, *stifled chuckle* Layla." Shadow tried to say without laughing.

"You guys okay?" Rouge asked in suspicion.

"Just dandy. Just freakin dandy." Layla said, burying her face in Shadow's chest once again to contain her laughter.

"What's up with her?" Knuckles asked, giving Layla –who was laughing her ass off in Shadow's chest- a weird look of confusion.

"Uh… she had a bad dream last night." Shadow lied, "Yeah, she uh, woke me up in the middle of the night last night. She's still a pretty freaked out. You should have seen her crying last night… the poor girl."

"What was it about?" Rouge asked, wanting proof to his story.

"Uh… killer bananas. Yeah, she hates bananas… a lot." He lied, making Layla laugh harder; her giggles sounding like cries of terror. "There, there Layla… it's okay. The bananas are gone." Shadow comforted, wrapping his arms around her waist and rubbing her back to calm her down.

"Well okay then…" Knuckles responded, looking at Layla like she was a freak.

"Good morning guys." Cream said, stretching and yawning, "Where did Tails and Mina go?" she asked.

"We're right here!" Mina smiled as she and Tails walked in the back door.

"Are you guys ready to hit the beach?" Tails asked.

"No, give me 10 minutes to get ready. I just woke up." Amy requested.

"I've just got to get my swim trunks, then I'll be ready." Knuckles told him, as everyone began getting up and scattering around the dorm; everyone but Silver.

"Hey Silver buddy, you coming?" Sonic asked.

"I'll be there in a little while. I'm going to wait for Blaze to get up." He said, pointing to Blaze who was curled up in his lap. "I don't want to wake her by standing up."

"Alright. See you in a little bit, then." He waved before dashing back into the guy's dorm area. Looking at Blaze, Silver knew something was wrong; she was shaking,

_Blaze stood in a dark forest, unable to make out any of her surroundings. Aimlessly, she wandered through the woods; she was searching for something, but she didn't know what. Suddenly, Scourge jumped out in front of her, holding a knife while laughing maniacally._

_"Haha, there's nowhere to run, you fire freak! You're gonna die, right here, right now." Scourge laughed, throwing the knife._

_"Blaze! NO!" a voice from behind her cried. Without warning the owner of the voice jumped in front of the flying blade, taking it right in the chest. Silver fell to the ground as a pool of blood formed around him, staining his silky grey fur. _

_"Silver!" Blaze exclaimed, falling beside him with tears stinging her eyes._

_"Blaze... Blaze…" Silver mumbled with his last bit of breath._

_"Silver! No! Please!" Blaze cried, throwing her arms over his body._

_"Blaze…. Blaze! Blaze!" she heard a familiar voice echoing around the forest._

Shaking her, Silver softly called, "Blaze… Blaze! Blaze, wake up!"

Suddenly, Blaze's head shot up from his lap, still shaking from the harsh images she had just seen . "Silver!" she cried, throwing her arms around him in relief.

"Blaze, are you okay? You were starting to freak me out there for a minute!" Silver informed her.

"What was I doing…?" she asked nervously, scared that she just embarrassed herself.

"Well, first you were just shaking, like you were scared. Then you started whimpering, and the shaking got a lot worse, but then you started mumbling something…" Silver trailed off, unsure if she wanted to hear the rest.

"Oh great… what was I mumbling?" she asked cautiously.

"You kept saying my name… over and over… like you were calling me. Then, you grabbed my hand, and I saw a tear roll down your cheek, so I started stroking your head to see if that would calm you down, but obviously that didn't work because you started crying harder."

"I was crying?" Blaze questioned, blushing as Silver nodded.

"So then I started to shake you to wake you up. Were you having a nightmare?" Silver asked, stroking her head and taking her hand to calm her down.

"Yeah… it was awful!" Blaze cried, "You know me Silver! You know I don't cry unless something really freaks me out, but that dream… that was terrifying." She told him, her voice shaking as tears formed in her eyes. Burying her face in her hands, she began to cry; the image of Silver's death burned in her mind.

Wrapping his arms around Blaze's body, Silver pulled her up against his chest in comfort. "Shh… Blaze. It's okay. I'm here." He comforted; Silver hated seeing her cry. "Let me guess. Was it another one of those Scourge dreams again?" he wondered aloud. Not able to talk, Blaze nodded as a sudden flashback came to mind.

**Flashback: Recess in 1****st**** grade**

_Completely lonely, a shy and timid Blaze sat in the corner of schoolyard on the border of the fence underneath a large oak tree as all of the other kids. She didn't have any friends; everyone was scared of her flames._

_"Hey there flame freak." A small green hedgehog taunted , approaching Blaze along with 5 other kids. "Get her." Scourge commanded as Fiona held his hand and maniacally laughed alongside him._

_Trudging towards her, Nic, Nack, Sally, and Bark pushed Blaze to the ground, holding her hands behind her back so she couldn't attack. Once she was completely pinned down, Scourge lifted Blaze by the neck as she tried to squirm free._

_"Leave her alone!" a small Silver hedgehog cried, sprinting towards Scourge. Waving his hands, a bluegreen glow formed around Blaze's body, prying her out of Scourge's grasp and placing her softly on the ground. _

_"Oh look who it is now! The flame freak's _boyfriend_, the _mind _freak, came to save the day! How pathetic." Scourge laughed, not knowing that the two had never even met._

_With one quick motion of his hand, Scourge's pants began to glow. As Silver waved his hand, his pants were quickly around his ankles; soon showing off his diaper._

_"Who's laughing now, Scourge?" Silver joked, laughing to the point of tears along with Blaze._

_"Yeah, diaper butt!" Blaze taunted back._

_"MOMMY!" Scourge screamed, dashing away at supersonic speed until he tripped over his pants, falling flat on his face._

**End Flashback**

"I'll always be there for you. Just remember that, okay?" he assured her, wiping the tears off of her face with his finger.

_That's right, he's always been there for me. Ever since that day back in elementary school. _Blaze thought.

Pulling herself together, Blaze smiled, "Thanks Silver." She said, hugging him back as she looked around the room for the others. "Where is everybody?" she asked.

"Oh, they all hit the beach about 15 minutes ago." Silver informed her.

"Why didn't you go with them?" Blaze questioned.

"Well, you were lying across my lap shaking, and I wanted to make sure everything was okay." He admitted, making her blush.

"Aww, thanks Silver! That was sweet of you." She thanked him.

"No problem, I was worried about you Blaze! I wouldn't just leave you…" Silver assured her as something across the room caught his eye. Under one of the couch cushions, a piece of paper was sticking out. "What is that?" Silver asked.

"What is what?"

"That piece of paper sticking out from underneath that cushion!" Silver pointed, getting up and lifting the cushion to find a Polaroid camera along with about 10 pictures of Rouge and Knuckles. Suddenly, he fell to the floor, dying in laughter, holding one of the pictures.

"What's so funny?" Blaze asked, watching Silver laugh his ass off.

"Look *giggle* underneath that *giggle* cushion!" he choked out, continuing to laugh.

Cautiously, Blaze walked over to the couch, afraid of what she was about to see. Soon, Blaze joined Silver, rolling around on the living room floor, laughing to the point of tears.

"Something tells me we weren't supposed to know about that." Blaze realized.

"Yeah… I think it'd be best to keep that on the D.L. C'mon! Let's get ready to go the beach!" Silver suggested, helping Blaze up and walking with her to her room.

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**Woo! Chapter 14 is done! :D :D :D I think this story is going to be a lot longer than planned! :D Chapter updates will probably begin to be a little less frequent because I have Track everyday after school plus 3 honors academic classes worth of homework, plus the traveling chorus group that I'm in. What I'm thinking about doing is doing updates either once during the week and once on the weekend, or twice on the weekend. I really just want to be able to post twice a week so I don't let you guys down. :) I'll probably stay up all night tonight and work on the story (that totally makes my night! :D I love doing that!) so I can get chapter 15 posted tomorrow!**

**Also: Thank you soooo much to those of you who reviewed! :D :D :D Next chapter, I'll start listing the usernames of people who reviewed in each update! **

**Clarification: When Tails and Mina promised each other that they'd always be buds, it doesn't mean I'm leaving them just as buds and ending Tailsmina. There will be TailsMina :D**

**The next chapter will either be up tomorrow or Monday (we probably won't have school Monday if you live in the Atlanta or North Georgia area! ^^)**

**Have a Frabjous day! :D**


	15. Chaos on the Beach

Hiya peoples! :D Sorry for the delay... the snow storm made us lose power! XD It's all good now! :D We've been out of school for two days now, and we have tomorrow and most likely the next day off too! :D I seriously spent about 1/2-3/4 of my relaxation time writing the story! I've added some twists, secrets, and even some shockers! :)

In this chapter, there is a song! :D AND I've also made the school's advertisement poster for their production of "Wicked"! :D On youtube, I've posted "As Long As You're Mine" because that's the audition song! :) Soooo... if you want to listen to the song or see the poster that I made, go to my youtube channel: **LaylaHedgie**

**IMPORTANT MEMO:** Okie dokie! SO, I absolutely LOVE when you guys review, and I LOVE it EVEN MORE when you guys leave suggestions in your reviews! :D It totally makes my day! It makes me feel so awesome to know that I have such amazing readers who care about what happens next in the story, and even go as far as making a suggestion in a review! I LOVE it! I really appreciate it when you all take the time to give me suggestions on what you think should happen in the story. :) Thank you! But here's the thing:

In order to get updates to you all faster, I write chapters in advance just in case. So, if for some reason I have a lot going on one week and I don't get a chance to write, I can still post the next chapter because I already have it pre-written from a week or a few weeks before. For example, I posted Chapter 14, but I've already written through Chapter 17. (Don't worry, I swear that what I'm trying to say relates to what I said in the last paragraph! :P) Soooooo, when you guys give me suggestions for the story, they will probably happen, but it won't be for another few chapters because I have already written what is going to happen next. But don't worry, I take EVERY suggestion into consideration, and most of them I am able to work into the story somehow! :) But if you like a suggestion like "I hope Tails gets eaten by a rhinoceros", I can't promise that will make it into the story. Sorry to those of you out there who were dying to read about Tails' rhino related death. :/

I swear I'm not aiming that at anybody. I've actually been meaning to say that for a long time, but after every post I forget! XD So, if you feel like you're being targeted, please don't, I'm not posting this for anyone in particular, I'm just saying it because I meant to say it a while ago! (like Chapter 1 a while ago...) So please don't take it personally. :) I love you all! Even those of you flamers out there! :D (Although... If you are known to flame people's writing, but then complain when your writing gets flamed back, that is called karma my dear friends! It very much annoys me when mean reviewers constantly tear apart people's work, but when their work get's insulted... they act like they didn't see it coming! Ugh... that irks me! (hehe... irks...) :P

So anyway... be sure to check out my youtube channel for the new song, and enjoy this chapter! Lots of romance! :D :D :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 15: Chaos on the Beach

**Emerald Coast Beach**

"C'mon Sonic! The water's awesome!" Amy shouted from the crystal clear water, wearing a red bikini with white polka dots.

"Uh, no thanks!" Sonic yelled back from the shore, "This guy wants to stay dry."

"Please, Sonic? Just come out to me! I promise you won't have to go any deeper!" she begged, standing in water that went up to her hips.

"Alright… fine. But _only _that deep." He gave in, cautiously walking towards the water. _Okay lucky bracelet: work your magic. _Sonic thought, looking at the lucky bracelet Amy made him a few years ago. (The lucky bracelet that Amy made him in Sonic X) Slowly, Sonic stuck his toe into the water, waiting for the worst as he felt the temperature. _Hmm… not too bad. _He thought, as he slowly let his other foot ease its way into the ocean floor.

"C'mon, Sonic! You can do it!" Amy cheered while Sonic slowly made his way toward her as the waves crashed against his legs. Finally, Sonic was about 5 feet away from Amy, who was holding her arms out ready to take his hand when reached her.

Frantically losing is balance, Sonic stumbled, quickly grabbing Amy's arms. "Oh, Sonic! I'm so proud of you!" Amy cried, hugging Sonic as she tried to help him stay standing as the waves continued to hit him.

"Wow… this isn't as bad as I thought!" Sonic realized.

"Then we might as well get you swimming, right?" Amy suggested.

"Whoa whoa whoa… let's not get too crazy…" Sonic warned, nervously backing away a little.

"C'mon Sonic! All you have to do is push out with your arms like this:" Amy instructed, swimming for Sonic to watch. Cautiously, Sonic lowered himself into water, trying to mimic Amy. To help, she wrapped her arms around his waist, trying to help him stay afloat as he paddled. "Good! Now start kicking!" she told him. Suddenly, Sonic found himself zooming around the ocean, swimming at supersonic speed. "You're doing it Sonic! You're doing it! You've got it!"

Swimming as fast as she could towards the shore, Amy cried, "Look everybody! Sonic can swim! Look! He can really-" Suddenly, the blue blur snuck up behind her, scooped her up out of the water, and playfully slammed her back down as she giggled hysterically. Sonic dove one top of Amy as she splashed him, eventually turning into a game of chase in the water, until Amy jumped on top of Sonic, making their lips meet for a long kiss.

"Wow… they really are perfect together. Oh, and thanks again for teleporting my piano down here! This is a dream come true; I've always wanted to play my piano with water lightly brushing up against my toes." Layla said to Shadow, sitting on her piano bench right about where the water meets the dry sand, wearing a purple bikini with red and black hearts.

"No problem. I love hearing you sing." He complimented, making her blush as she began playing the instrumental to "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked. "Is that from Wicked?" he asked.

"Yup. It's the audition song for Elphaba, Galinda, Fiyero, Madame Morrible, the Wizard, Boq and Nessarose." Layla told him.

"Lemme guess… 'As Long As You're Mine'!" Shadow guessed.

"Yes! Have you seen Wicked!" Layla asked eagerly.

"Yes! Don't tell anyone –especially Sonic or Knuckles- but I secretly love Broadway." Shadow confessed, making Layla giggle in delight.

"Don't worry. That may be the best secret you've told me yet, but it's safe with me." Layla assured him, before she began to sing the first part, but suddenly pausing to ask, "Do you know this song? Well… I mean you know the song, but can you sing it?"

"Yes… does this mean you want me to sing Fiyero's part?" he questioned.

"You're learning my ways fast Shadow the Hedgehog." Layla told him, playfully touching his nose.

"But, everyone is right around us… they'll hear me." He worried.

"Shadow, this is one of the first lessons you have to learn about music: don't be afraid to sing out." Layla informed him.

"Hmmm…. I've got an idea: take my hand." Shadow instructed.

Giving Shadow a weird look, Layla followed his command, happily taking his hand. Suddenly, a crimson ball grew in each of their palms, quickly engulfing the piano.

"Oh… I see what you're trying to do. Good thinking." Layla said, winking at him. Sitting about 5 feet away from the piano were Tails and Mina, building a sand castle together. "Hey Mina! Tails! Can you hear me!" Layla screamed from inside the bubble as she waved her arms around to see if they could see her.

Getting no response, Layla admitted, "Wow Shadow, smart idea. We've got a sound proof room on the go; pretty freaking awesome."

"Wait, one issue…" Shadow realized, "How are you going to play the piano and help me hold up the force field at the same time?"

"Oh crap, forgot about that part. Well… can you hold it up yourself?" she wondered.

"I don't know… let's see!" Shadow exclaimed as Layla slowly put down her arms while the energy shield stayed up.

"It's working!" Shadow cried happily, smiling and looking into her eyes as she did the same.

"You ready to sing, Fiyero?" Layla flirted, playing the opening chord.

"Let's do it, Elphaba." Shadow laughed as Layla began to play.

_*Listen to "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked the Musical on my youtube channel __**LaylaHedgie**__*_

"What is it?" Shadow asked, quoting Fiyero, and slowly bring his head towards Layla's.

"It's just… for the first time… I feel..." Layla trailed off still as Elphaba, bring her face in close to his, touching noses. "Wicked." She said forcefully, still leaning against Shadow's forehead, "This is the part where Elphaba and Fiyero kiss…" she whispered.

"No… this is the part where Layla and Shadow kiss…" he whispered in her ear as they both leaned in for a kiss. Slowly, Shadow put his arms down, not caring if the force field fell as he wrapped his arms around the girl he loved, but to their surprise, the energy shield didn't go down, however neither of them seemed to notice.

Suddenly, Layla broke the kiss, looking into Shadow's eyes, she said, "I love you, Shadow the Hedgehog."

With tears of joy in his eyes, he assured her, "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone, Layla." Bringing tears to her eyes, Layla jumped into his lap on the piano bench as they passionately kissed.

Soon, Layla broke the kiss to ask, "So, does this mean we're going out?"

"Of course." Shadow laughed, smiling with loving eyes. "You've totally changed me, Layla. When I'm around you, I feel… happy. When you're with me, I feel like I can really be myself- or a happier version of myself. You bring me joy, Layla." He admitted, taking her hand as the hearts on her gloves began to glow a brilliant crimson.

"I feel the same way! I mean, we've only known each other for a little bit less than a week, but I feel like I can show my true colors around you like I've known you for years, or decades, or even my entire life! I just can't help but feel like my life is complete with you and me together." She told Shadow, smiling warmly as she quickly kissed him on the lips once more.

Changing the subject, he questioned "So, you are going to audition for Wicked, right?"

"Well, I _want _to, but I don't know if I can…" she admitted.

"Why not?"

"Well, to get a main role (Elphaba, Galinda, Fiyero, Madame Morrible, the Wizard, Boq, or Nessarose) you have to audition with a guy… and I don't have a guy to audition with." She said, looking down at her hands sadly.

"What! Will Colette not make an exception? I mean- it's you! She loves you." Shadow pointed out.

"I know, but since it's a formal audition and she's not going to be the only judge, she can't just let it slide." Layla informed him with a frown on her face. "I don't know any guys auditioning other than Scourge."

Taking her hand, Shadow decided, "I'll audition with you."

Layla gasped, "Really? You would do that for me?"

"Of course."

"But… aren't you afraid of what the others would think?" Layla feared.

"Not anymore. As someone told me lately, "Don't be afraid to sing out."" He quoted, making a huge smile form on Layla face.

"Oh Shadow! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" she squealed, hugging him as she kissed him on the cheek. "Shall we go take a celebratory dip in the water?"

"We shall. Would you like me to romantically carry you, love?" Shadow flirted, holding out his arms in bridal style.

"Oooo, "love"! I like it! And…. Na!" Layla giggled as she took off like a rocket towards the water.

_She said yes! She likes me! _Shadow thought, taking off after his black and purple blur.

_OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD! HE ASKED ME OUT! BEST DAY OF MY LIFE! _Layla's mind cheered as her heart raced in girlish happiness. Just before Layla reached the shore, Shadow picked her up, swinging her around in circles as they laughed in joy until they he fell on top of her in the water. As they both rose gasping for air, Layla passionately kissed Shadow on the lips in front of everyone, making the gang cheer in excitement for the couple.

"HEY! SHADSY DID IT!" Sonic cried as Amy squealed next to him.

Walking to the beach in flip flops and sunglasses standing jaw dropped at the two were Silver and Blaze; late due to her nightmare. Blaze stood wearing a lavender and maroon sport bikini top with matching swim shorts carrying a beach bag next to Silver, who was sporting bluegreen swim trunks while licking a cherry popsicle. Completely shocked, Silver dropped his popsicle in the sand as did Blaze with her beach bag as she asked cautiously, "Uh… hey guys? What did we miss?"

"You guys have seen as much as we have! Shadow and Layla are officially together." Rouge announced as Blaze cheered in happiness.

"Layla! I'm so happy for you g- water!" Blaze cried, running towards Layla in excitement until the tide rolled in, making her jump in fear. "I'll just congratulate you two when you back on land… not in the water… nice and dry…"

"Hey, Tails?" Mina asked, "Could you hand me the shovel, please?"

"Sure thing, Mina." Tails smiled, putting down the metal box looking contraption he was holding and passing her the shovel as she stared at his invention in wonder.

"Whoa, what's that you've got?" She asked in awe.

"Oh, this? This is a multi-purpose sand castle molding unit, but I call it the "Techno Bucket". If you fill it with wet sand from the water, it dries it to the perfect moisture it needs to be excellent molding sand, so that when you dump it onto the ground, it stays in its shape, making the perfect tower for your sand castle. Also, by the push of a button, you can change the shape of the mold, so it could be a cylinder, a rectangle, or even in the shape of a tower." Tails explained as he demonstrated, creating the perfect sand castle. "How's your castle coming, Mina?"

"Uh…" Mina hesitated, looking at her pathetic little castle whose walls were caving in as the side towers drooped. "Well… it's definitely not as good as yours." She admitted.

"You know, I have another Techno Bucket if you want to use it." Tails offered.

"Oh Tails, that'd be awesome! Can you show me how to use it?" Mina asked excitedly.

"Sure! C'mon! Let's get some sand!" he exclaimed, taking Mina's hands and hovering them towards the water; their feet dangling just above the ground. Filling up the Techno Bucket, Tails flew them back, when suddenly, the bucket screamed DIING!

"Alright! It's done heating, now we just have to dump it over like this…" Tails instructed, wrapping his arms around Mina, putting his hands over hers to steady the bucket.

"Ready?" she asked in a flirty way, blushing by his touch.

"3-2-1- DUMP!" Tails shouted, quickly helping Mina flip over the bucket and slowly lifting it back up, revealing the perfect sand tower.

"Wow! Tails, that's insane! That's crazy awesome! Thanks for showing me!" Mina blushed, giving him a hug.

"No problem. Any time! Hey… wanna go for another flight!" he asked, offering her his hand.

"Heck yeah! Let's go!" Mina cried, taking his hand as he swung her into the bridal pose.

"Alright… hang on!" Tails warned, "Lift off!" he exclaimed as Mina wrapped her arms around his neck and curled against his chest to hang on.

"Wooo!" Mina cried, clinging to her crush as they soared high over the crystal clear water. Swooping down, Tails flew down just above the ocean, feeling salty mist dance around their bodies. Nervously, Mina extended out one arm, running her fingers through the water as Tails smiled and laughed with her. Quickly, he rocketed higher, flying over the group, when suddenly, they spotted the unwanted: Scourge and Fiona's gang.

"Uh… Mina? Let's go back to the dorm for now… or at least until Scourge and Fiona leave. I don't want you to get hurt." Tails decided, flying the pair back to the dorm.

Strutting along the beach, Scourge, Fiona, Nic, Nack, Bark, Sally, Eric and Danny walked, looking to make trouble.

"SCOURGE! LOOK!" Fiona cried, pointing at Shadow and Layla in the water, kissing as the waves knocked them over.

"Hmph. Looks like she got a boyfriend faster than we thought. Let them be together for now; I think I've got the perfect plan for their break up. In order for it to be fully effective, we have to give them time." Scourge plotted.

"Hey Amy, I'm gonna go grab us some chilli dogs down at the Boardwalk. I'll be right back, k?"

Sonic told her as his stomach growled.

"Speaking of plans… hey Eric and Sally! Front and center! I've got an idea that'll knock your socks off." Scourge commanded.

"Yeah, boss?" asked the orange hedgehog, smiling a sinister grin of excitement. He knew where this was going.

"So here's the deal- Sonic's headed down to the boardwalk for chili dogs. While he's gone, Eric, you go talk to Amy: tell her that Sonic's cheating on her for Sally. Obviously, she won't believe you, so take her down to the Boardwalk to see what Sonic's doing." Scourge explained, turning to Sally, "That's when I run Sally down to the chili dog stand to meet Sonic. Sally, once Sonic gets his chili dogs, jump in front of him and just start making out with him; take him by surprise so he can't run. Eric, your job is to make sure that Amy is watching from afar so that Sonic doesn't see you, and somehow get her to stop watching before Sonic decides to run. The girl will probably start crying… so comfort her, and be really nice; hug her, tell her that everything's going to be okay and stuff… maybe afterwards you can bring her back to your dorm... and I don't care what you do with her from there! She'll be yours by then. The plan is fool-proof. It can't possibly fail."

"What do you want the rest of us to do?" Fiona asked.

"You guys distract the others so Eric can take Amy to the boardwalk without being seen. If her friends see Eric walking away with Amy, they'll think it's suspicious and they'll attack. Fiona, you start insulting and taunting Layla. Just remember: DO NOT break them up. Nic and Nack, you guys take the bat and the echidna; they probably even have a couple of gems on them that you can steal. Bark, you can probably take that stupid fire freak and her boyfriend, the mind freak." Scourge plotted.

"What about Tails and Mina?" Nic asked.

"Well, I don't see them anywhere… must have stayed home." Scourge assumed.

"What about me, Scourge?" Danny asked nervously.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot about you, kid. You can… oh yeah! I forgot that Cream chick. You distract her." Scourge instructed.

"Any questions?" Scourge asked.

"Hey Scourge? Can I use my powers? What if I get attacked while trying to take Amy?" Eric asked.

"No. You're powers are our secret weapon which we'll use later." Scourge told him.

"What are your powers, Eric?" Danny asked arrogantly.

Eric smirked, looking at his nails smoothly as he remarked, "Well, I can s-"

"Shh! Do you want them to hear! Rouge, Knuckles, Silver and Blaze are standing right there!" Scourge whispered violently, punching Eric in the stomach to get him to shut up. "Alright people. Go to your positions. Eric, don't go to Amy until all of the others are distracted, and DO NOT use your powers under ANY circumstances! The operation is now is gear. Let's move."

Quickly, everyone sprinted in separate directions, exchanging sinister looks as they began their mission. "OOO! LAYLA GOT A BOYFRIEND! DON'T GET TOO CLOSE SHADOW! YOU MIGHT CATCH HER UGLYNESS! I MEAN, HOW DO YOU EVEN SEE THROUGH HER HIDEOUS LOOKS?" Fiona shouted, strutting towards them in her skimpy yellow bikini.

"UGH! FIONA! I've put up with your stupid games for years! I'm sick of your bullshit! I really don't want to hurt you, so I'll ask you once: just leave us alone!" Layla yelled.

"Face it Layla. He doesn't love you; he feels sorry for you. That's why he asked you out." Fiona taunted.

"THAT'S SHIT FIONA! LEAVE HER ALONE!" Shadow growled, stepping in front of Layla protectively.

"Ooo, whatcha gonna do? Hurt me? It's not very gentlemen-like to hit a girl Shadow. But I can smack you all I want!" Fiona sneered, punching Shadow on the stomach, kneeing him in the crotch and slapping him across the face.

"Shadow!" Layla cried, falling by his side in the water. "Oh…. You're so gonna get it… you… you bitch!" Layla growled, clutching her necklace as she screamed out of anger, "CHAOS CONTROL!" Layla, being so angry, shot twice the regular amount of beams of red chaos energy out of her palms, causing her hair to fall out of its ponytail as the chaos energy lifted her about 5 feet in the air. Aiming her hands at Fiona, the energy soon engulfed her, causing her to collapse completely unconscious in the water.

"Wow…" Layla gasped, shocked by what she'd just done. "I've never produced so much energy in my life… and I'm pretty sure the whole levitation thing was new…"

"Thanks Layla. That was epic." Shadow said as Layla helped him up into an immediate hug. "Plus, you look really sexy with your hair down." He complimented her long brown hair with red streaks and soft curls that fell to her mid-back, still covering up her left eye. (A/N: Imagine Selena Gomez's long hair with red streaks and bangs that covered one of her eyes.)

"Aww, thanks Shadow! I don't normally like wearing it down, but if you like it then maybe I will. And no problem! I wasn't afraid to use my powers after she hurt you. I guess I tend to induce more chaos energy when I'm angry. Speaking of Fiona… what are we going to do with her? If we leave her here, she'll just drift out to sea… which suddenly sounds like a good idea!" Layla realized.

"Sounds fine with me! Good riddance!" Shadow agreed.

"As much as I hate her… I just couldn't do it. Where should we take her?" Layla wondered.

"Maybe we could take her back to her dorm's beach? On one of my jogs I saw that they have beach chairs set up outside. We could go lay her down in one of the chairs before she wakes up." Shadow suggested.

"Sounds like a plan!" Layla agreed as Shadow slung Fiona's unconscious body over his shoulder.

**Meanwhile with Knuckles and Rouge…**

"Knuckie… you SERIOUSLY brought along the Master Emerald?" Rouge questioned, rolling her eyes.

"I can't let it out of my sight! Someone could steal it!" Knuckles defended, sitting in front of the giant green emerald with his arms crossed in determination. "Nobody's gonna get their paws on this emerald."

"Ooo… it's so shiny!" Silver exclaimed, rubbing his hand across the Master Emerald.

"DON'T TOUCH THAT!" Knuckles cried, slapping Silver's hand off.

"Why can't we touch it?" Blaze asked, tapping it.

"AHHHH! STOP TOUCHING THE MASTER EMERALD!" Knuckles warned again, pushing Blaze and Silver away.

"Please, ignore the knucklehead over here…" Rouge said, punching the stubborn red echidna, "He's just a tad over protective."

"Yeah, the reason I'm so over protective is to guard the Master Emerald from batty jewel thieves like you!" Knuckles yelled.

"Or like us?" a voice asked from behind the group. "Hand over the rock punks."Nack demanded standing beside NIc and Bark.

"Over my dead body! Rouge, you know what to do." Knuckles said as Rouge sprang into action along with Blaze and Silver while he stood behind, guarding the Master Emerald with his life.

"I'll go for Nic. Blaze, go for Nack. Silver, do you think you can handle Bark?" Rouge asked.

"Leave it to me." Silver assured her, approaching the huge polar bear with confidence.

"Okay, let's go. We can't let them take the Master Emerald!" Rouge commanded, jumping in the air kicking Nic in the head. Quickly, she recovered, springing up and kicking out Rouge's legs from underneath her.

"Do you seriously think tripping me is going to stop me from doing everything I can to protect _my _emerald? Please!" Rouge scoffed.

"Save it, bat chick." NIc sneered, kicking Rouge in the head and quickly pulling out a pistol.

"Whoa there weasel! Let's not get too hasty." Rouge said, backing away a little.

"Leave her alone!" Knuckles cried, abandoning the Master Emerald to protect Rouge. Quickly, he dove, picking her up and gliding her to safety just as Nic pulled the trigger, missing Rouge by inches.

"Are you okay?" Knuckles asked worriedly.

"I think so… Knuckie that was so brave! Thank you." She blushed, wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. Surprised, he jumped by her move, but slowly wrapped his arms around her waist in return.

Nack and Blaze fought hard; showing absolutely no mercy. Suddenly, he punched her in the stomach, causing her to collapse in pain, holding her chest as she gasped for air. As Nack approached Blaze about to give the final blow, he was interrupted by:

"Hey Nack! Didn't your mother ever tell you it lame to hit girls?" Silver called as a bluegreen glow formed around his body, flinging him across the sand about 10 feet away from Blaze.

"Come out and fight, echidna!" Nic shouted, still armed with the pistol.

"Your going down, Nic!" Knuckles shouted, tackling her to the ground as he dropped her gun. Quickly, he grabbed the pistol, stood up and screamed, "Silver! Catch!"

"I got it!" Silver assured him as the pistol soared, when suddenly his body was engulfed by a large shadow. The gun was right above his reaching hands, skimming his fingertips when-

"No you don't!" Bark shouted, snatching the flying pistol from behind Silver. "Say goodbye to your freak of a _girlfriend_!" He sneered, lifting his arm and pulling the trigger; it's target: Blaze's face.

"BLAZE! NO!" Silver cried, throwing his hands in front of him as his hands began to glow.

_This is it…. This is the end. It's like the nightmare, only this time it's actually going to happen. I'm going to die. _She thought as her life flashed before her eyes; time seemed to be moving at a slow. The bullet rocketed at Blaze's head; getting closer and closure as she waited for pain, closing her eyes, not wanting to watch her own death. _Huh? _Blaze thought, confused. _Where's the pain? Am I already dead?_ Nervously, she opened her eyes to find a bluegreen glow no further than an inch away from her forehead. Encased inside it, a tiny silver bullet floated, dropping to the sand in front of her as the glow disintegrated.

Completely in shock, the lavender cat collapsed onto the sand, fainting from the near death experience.

As Bark stood in shock of his save, Silver kicked him in the crotch, causing him to fall to the sand in pain just as Blaze fainted.

"Blaze!" Silver shrieked as he looked to find her lying on the ground, running to her side.

In fear of getting in trouble, Nic, Nac, and Bark split the scene, sprinting back to their beach as the gang took close attention to Blaze. "Blaze! C'mon Blaze! Come back to me!" Silver shouted, tears stinging in his eyes.

"Relax, Silver! She's not dead; she just fainted! That bullet must have scared the living shit out of her." Knuckles informed him, calming him down.

"Oh my god… I almost lost her…" Silver thought, picking up Blaze and placing her in his lap, checking to see if she was at all hurt. Standing up, he held her in a bridal style, slowly starting to levitate off of the ground as he said, "I'm going to take Blaze back to the dorm. I'll watch her and make sure nothing happens to her."

"Alright. You take good care of her, Silver." Rouge told him, as he took off, soaring towards the dorm.

"Don't worry Blaze," Silver told his sleeping secret crush, "I'll always stay by your side, no matter what." He assured her as a green and brown blur rocketed by beneath them.

"So far so good. We got across their turf without being noticed." Sally reported, and Scourge carried her in his arms, sprinting at supersonic speed towards the boardwalk.

"Awesome. I just hope that Eric followed his part of the plan." Scourge worried.

Just as Nic, Nack and Bark approached Silver, Blaze, Rouge and Knuckles for their previous fight, Eric found the perfect time to steal Amy. Happily, Amy swam by herself, observing the ocean floor, when suddenly, she got felt a tap on her shoulder. Swimming back to the surface, her blurry eyes could only make out one color: orange. "Hey there, doll face." the blur said smoothly. Wiping her eyes, she shrieked, flicking her wrist to summon her hammer.

"What do you want Eric?" she shrieked, holding her hammer high above her head, ready to swing.

"I just wanted to drop by to say hey. Where's your boyfriend? Oh, he is your boyfriend, right?" Eric asked dumbly.

"Yes he is. And if he sees you here he'll come beat the crap out of you!" Amy threatened, backing away a few steps.

"I'm not too worried… I mean, I wasn't even sure you two were still going out after I saw Sonic with this other chick." Eric lied.

"What! What are you talking about? Sonic is with me and only me!" Amy defended, glaring in disgust.

"Are you sure? Well… I know where he is now." Eric said, grinning sinisterly.

"I do too! He's getting us chili dogs!" she yelled.

"Really? Are you sure he's not going to see _Sally_?" he questioned.

"HE'S CHEATING ON ME FOR _HER_? No… he's not… he wouldn't… he can't! He loves _me_…" Amy thought aloud.

"Well, there's only one way to find out…" Eric told her, holding out his hand.

"Fine! I'll go with you! But only to prove that Sonic is loyal!" she agreed, running to get her strapless cover up dress before taking his hand as they ran towards the boardwalk. For the first time, Amy could run faster than another hedgehog.

_Haha… Amy Rose will soon be mine! _Eric thought happily.

* * *

**OH MY GOD! SHADOW AND LAYLA ARE GOING OUT! :D :D :D OH FRABJOUS DAY! :D Will Scourge's plan work? Will Sonic and Amy break up? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehogs, High School and Drama! :D Thanks to those of you who reviewed Chapter 14:**

**GalexiatheChao**

**Shadowstarwolf**

**Aravi Velez**

**wind dragon (anonymous reviewer)**

**THANK YOU ALL SOO MUCH! :D**

**The next chapter will be up soon! Please review! We are soooo close to getting 100 reviews! :D Please please please review! Reviews get you air hugs! :D Have a frabjous day! :D**


	16. The Plan in Action

Hiya peoples! :D

ONE THING: Next chapter, it seems like there's a lemon... it starts out like there is going to be a lemon... but rest assured... there will be no lemon. :) However, there will be grapejuice! Bahaha... I don't even know what that's supposed to mean! XD I bet there were a few of you out there like "grapejuice? what the heck!" No it means nothing... just messing with you! :) I think I'm gonna go back and make sure someone drinks grapejuice though! :)

Here's the next chapter! Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

* * *

Chapter 15: The Plan in Action

**Emerald Coast Beach…**

Sadly, Cream sat lonely in the sand; with Tails, Amy, Mina, Sonic, Blaze, Silver, Shadow and Layla gone, she had no one to hang out with other than Rouge and Knuckles, who sort of scared her when together. With a nearby stick, she drew a picture of Cheese in the sand as tears formed in her eyes. _Oh Cheese… I miss you so much! I'm not going to cry… I'm not going to cry…_ she thought as tears began cascading from her eyes. _It seems everyone has at least one friend that they're with right now… I'm all alone… I have nobody… _Cream thought as she sobbed harder, burying her face in her hands.

_Alright, Danny… just act like everything is normal… don't give away the plan… no! I have to tell her! Sonic and Amy don't deserve this!_ Danny thought, trying to fight his thoughts, as he slowly approached Cream. From about 30 feet away, he suddenly heard someone screaming- no, someone crying? Running to the source of the crying, Danny found Cream kneeing in the sand with her hands over her face, sobbing alone on the ground.

"Cream! Oh my god! Are you okay?" Danny worried, running to her side and wrapping his arms around her waist in comfort.

"Danny! I'm so happy you here! I really need someone like you right now…" Cream cried, turning around, hugging Danny almost as hard as one of Amy's hugs, still sobbing hysterically. "I'm sorry… I just…. I just really miss Cheese right now." Cream sobbed, crying into his chest as he hugged her tighter. Danny blinked away tears as he thought of Lulu, completely feeling Cream's pain as he let her have a good cry on his shoulder. Remembering he had to be strong, he put his hands on Cream's shoulders and lifted her chin with his finger, looking right into her beautiful topaz eyes.

"Cream, just smile." He said warmly, grinning at her in encouragement. Gently, he wiped the tears running down he cheeks with his finger, and hugged her tight, "It's gonna be alright Cream." He assured her, making her smile. "I know it must get pretty lonely… it seems like everyone has a girlfriend or boyfriend these days, but whenever you need someone, I'm your man to come to."

"Thanks Danny! You're the best." Cream said, hugging him harder, "but what about Scourge and Fiona? Don't they want us to avoid each other?"

"Screw them!" Danny laughed.

"But Danny… what about your singing career? I don't want to ruin it for you." She worried.

"That won't happen… if Fiona and Scourge don't like it, I'll sneak out. Honestly, I would so much rather be friends with you." He assured her.

"Aww… that's so sweet! I'll sneak out too. The others are getting kind of suspicious over our friendship." Cream informed him. "So, what do you want to do? We could go swimming, or we could build a sand castle or take a walk, or-"

"Ooo! I have an idea! We can bury each other in the sand!" Danny suggested.

"Alright! I love doing that! I'll bury you, first." Cream agreed Danny layed flat on his back, making a pose that looked like he was showing off his muscles. After about 10 minutes, his body was completely covered in sand; the only thing showing at the the top was his head. "Okay Danny, which would you rather have: 6 pack abs, a school uniform, or a ninja costume?

"Six pack abs all the way!" Danny cheered as Cream traced the muscle lines on the sand over his chest. Over his legs, she traced his swim suit: a red, black and white plaid pair of swim trunks that fell to his knees.

"How do I look? Did ya make me look sexy, Cream?" he joked in his nortic sand body.

"Oh yeah! Ooo! I have another idea!" Cream squealed. Just above Danny's head, Cream drew a hero chao happily flying above his head, and underneath it she wrote "Lulu." Then, to the left of Danny, she drew herself holding hands with Danny, and flying next to Lulu was none other than Cheese.

"Cream? What are you doing?" Danny asked.

"It's a surprise." Cream simply put it, pulling her camera out of her beachbag. "Smile!" she grinned at Danny, taking the picture.

"Can I see it now!" Danny asked eagerly.

"Alright." She agreed, laying on top of the sand version of herself next to Danny. "Close your eyes." Cream instructed as he laughed, shutting his eyes.

Smiling in excitement, Cream stuck the camera in his face, "Okay… open!"

Opening his eyes, he looked at the picture in astonishment, tears forming in his eyes at the near perfect sculpture of Lulu. "Cream… this is amazing." He choked out. "Thank you!"

"Aww no problem, Danny!" Cream blushed as Danny quickly embracing her in a hug s he sniffled, trying to keep the tears away. He was the sensitive type… and he found it embarrassing and weak, but little did he know that girls love sensitive guys; especially someone like Cream.

"Wait… it's missing something." Danny pointed out, startling Cream.

_What could it possibly be missing? I even added Lulu! _Cream thought, lying beside Danny.

"What's it missing?" Cream asked.

"You." Danny smiled, holding the camera up in the air between them and taking a picture; this one with the real Cream, Danny, Lulu and Cheese. In the photo, the two weren't looking into the camera; they were looking into each other's eyes, smiling and blushing as their chao floated happily above. Looking at the picture, they didn't seem so far away. "There. Much better!" he flirted, making Cream blush and giggle. "This is my new favorite picture,"

"Me too. It's perfect!" Cream agreed, smiling at him. "Thanks, Danny." She said, hugging Danny when suddenly, she pulled away, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek, completely shocking him. Instantly, Cream's smile turned to a scowl of regret as she turned away, embarrassed by her actions. "Sorry… I got a little over excited… I'll just go now…"she frowned, standing up as she began to walk away.

"Cream! Wait!" Danny cried, jumping up after her as he grabbed her arm, "Don't be sorry," he told her, lifting her chin with his finger as he slowly leaned in for a kiss on the lips. Breaking apart after about 10 seconds, Cream smiled; her sadness about Cheese and embarrassment completely gone. "Cream, I'm nuts about you." Danny admitted.

"Aww! Danny I'm crazy about you too!" Cream confessed, blushing and smiling in his embrace. In joy, Danny, picked her up and spun her around in the air as they both laughed in happiness. Putting her down, Cream scowled, in worry, "Danny, what about Scourge and Fiona? I don't want you getting hurt because of me."

"That is a problem… although, I don't think they'd put the pound on me, Cream. They'd probably come after you." He admitted, sighing in defeat. "But if I do what they say and obey them, you'll be safe."

"Danny, why don't you just leave them? You're always worried about being hurt or insulted. It's just not fair. You shouldn't feel like this! It kills me to see you like that!" Cream explained.

"I can't leave them for your gang, they'll hurt you guys! It'll put you in danger, and I love you Cream! I don't want you to end up like the other people Scourge and Fiona have beaten up or even killed!" Danny worried, hugging Cream. "If I just stick with them, you guys won't get hurt. Don't worry, if they lay a hand on you, they are gonna get it BAD."

"So what are we going to do?" Cream asked.

"For your safety, I think we should meet in secret after school and on the weekends. But don't worry! We'll see each other during school! After all… we do have the same schedule! We can still do things like hang out at the beach or even go to the movies!" Danny assured her, "Trust me, we'll make this work so we aren't putting each other in danger."

"Okay… I hope your right." Cream said, hugging Danny. "Your more than welcome to come hang out with us at our dorm. Sonic's pretty cool about trusting people."

"Awesome! Thanks Cream. We'll make it out of this mess. I promise." Danny vowed, holding Cream as he kissed her forehead.

**The Boardwalk**

"Alright Sally, there he is!" Scourge pointed to Sonic, who was waiting in line to buy the chili dogs. The two stood casually next to the giant Ferris-wheel that stood at least 100 feet tall next to the chili dog stand and the roller coaster, watching the blue hedgehog with close eyes. "See the sign that says 'Pick Up Order'? Go wait to the side of the shack, and as he's walking away with the chili dogs, jump out in front of him and just make out with him. Make it seem real! Hmm… actually, make it seem like your Amy! Yeah! That'll totally make it believable! He won't know it's you until he opens his eyes! From personal experience, when you're making out with your girl, you close your eyes." He laughed, thinking of Fiona, popping the collar of his signature black leather jacket, showing of his stomach scar. "When you talk, make your voice really high pitched, and pinch your nose to make it sound all nasally." He instructed as Sally mimicked him.

"Like this?" Sally asked, making a perfect impersonation of Amy.

"Perfect. Another thing: I've heard Amy call him like 'Sonikku' or something along those lines. I know, it sounds really retarded, but if you really want the kiss of your life, call him that in your Amy voice. When you're about to grab him, I would put your hands over his eyes and then talk like Amy, so it seems flirty and he'll totally believe you're Amy." He suggested. "Alright, Sally. You ready?"

"Hell, yeah!" Sally sneered.

"Okay! On my command, I'll tell you to go. We just have to wait for Eric and Amy."

Just as Scourge mention Eric and Amy, the two were seen sprinting down the beach toward the Boardwalk. Approaching the large boardwalk, Eric and Amy stood underneath it, peering just above it so they weren't seen, but they had a clear view of Sonic.

"There's Eric and Amy!" Scourge pointed to two pink and orange heads poking out from underneath the boardwalk, looking at Sonic through people's feet. Amy watched Sonic vigorously as Eric eyes wandered through the crowd. Lifting his trademark orange sunglasses, Scourge gave a subtle wave to Eric, as he gave a thumbs up in return. "Alright Sally! Go!"

"He looks fine to me! I don't know what you're talking about, Eric! I'm going back to the beach!" Amy told him, turning the walk back toward the beach as Eric grabbed her arm.

"No! Wait! Look! There's Sally!" Eric pointed, as Sally walked towards the 'Pick Up Order' sign.

"WHAT! REALLY?" Amy cried in shock, as Eric guided her back. Grabbing his tray of chili dogs, he began to walk away when suddenly-

Sally jumped out from the other side of the building, putting one hand over Sonic's eyes and the other around his stomach, pulling him toward her. Pinching her nose, she asked, "Guess who, Sonikku?"

"Oh, hey Ames! Wow, you actually beat me down here! I'm impressed." He admitted, still blindfolded by Sally's hand.

"What are they saying!" Amy questioned eagerly, not ready to admit defeat over their relationship.

"Sally asked, "Guess who?" and Sonic replied, "Oh, hey Sal, babe! We're finally together, away from Amy! You actually beat me down here! I'm impressed."" Eric lied, tears stinging in Amy's eyes.

"Hey, Amy? Can you take your hand off, now? Please? I feel like an idiot…" Sonic asked.

"Kiss me first." Sally demanded, making a perfect Amy impersonation.

"Okay… sure! Why not?" Sonic agreed, leaning in for a passionate kiss as he closed his eyes, wrapping his arms around Sally's waist, running his fingers through her thick- fur?

"THAT DIRTY FUDGEBAG DICKASS SON OF A BUTTERSACK SKANKY CHEATER!" Amy cried, waterfalls of tears pouring from her eyes as she fell to the sand, her face buried in her hands as she sobbed loud, hysterical cries of pain, unable to watch Sonic and Sally make out any longer. "OH SONIC! NO!"

"Shh… Amy. It's okay. He didn't deserve you anyway; you're too good for a loser like him!" Eric assured her, kneeling down beside her as he lifted her chin with his finger, wiping the tears off of her face with his thumb.

"Oh, Eric! I'm sorry I didn't believe you! You were right… he is a cheater." Amy admitted, throwing her arms around his neck as she cried into his shoulder.

_Uh oh… either Amy has a _really _hairy back… or this isn't Amy… fantastic! _Sonic thought, quickly pulling away from Sally. "SALLY? WHY THE HELL DID YOU DO THAT?" Sonic asked, grabbing her by the vest. "I normally don't hit girls, but you're not a girl! You're a dirty bitch! Tell me why!"

"I uh… I don't know…" Sally said, playing dumb.

"TELL ME! YOU KNOW I'M WITH AMY!" Sonic yelled, holding his fist high in the air.

From the sidelines, Scourge mouthed, "Don't tell him! Abort! Abort! Get out of there!"

Giving Scourge a confused look, Sally mouthed back, "What do I tell him?"

Sonic, scowled, and questioned, "Who are you mouthing to?" Turning around, Sonic squinted, looking around the Boardwalk until a certain green hedgehog came into view. Letting go of Sally, Sonic dashed at Scourge, anger written all over his face as his fist collided with his face as he tackled the green blur to the ground.

With Sonic having Scourge pinned to the ground, Scourge laughed maniacally in his face as he sneered, "The plan worked, blue boy."

"Well… you've still got me." Eric smiled.

"Huh?" Amy asked in confusion. Last time she saw him, he was about to run off with her.

"What do you say? Wanna go back to my dorm? Like I said before, I'll show you a good time." Eric flirted.

"Uh… no thanks. I just want to go back to my dorm with my friends." Amy requested, turning and walking towards their beach.

"Are you sure, beautiful? We'll have lots of fun in my room… there's a lot to do…" Eric taunted, grabbing Amy's arm to stop her.

"No Eric! I'm going back to my dorm!" Amy exclaimed, trying to break free of his grip.

"No! You're not! I've asked nicely! Like I said before: this guy doesn't take 'no' for an answer!" Eric shouted, picking up Amy around the waist and throwing her over his shoulder as she uselessly attempted to squirm free.

"Let me go! Help! HELP! SONIC!" Amy cried as Eric sprinted as fast as he could back to his dorm.

With Sonic having Scourge pinned to the ground, Scourge laughed maniacally in his face as he sneered, "The plan worked, blue boy."

"WHAT PLAN!" Sonic interrogated, getting up in Scourge's face.

"The breakup plan for you and Amy, of course!" Scourge informed him. "You and Amy are through, Sonic! She's got a new boyfriend now… actually, he's more of a _forced _boyfriend…" Scourge laughed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT, SCOURGE?" Sonic yelled.

"Oh, you didn't see? Amy saw the whole thing! Well… except for the part where you realized you were making out with Sally and not your actual girlfriend. At that point, she was hysterically crying and went to another guy for comfort."

"Who?"

"Let's just say he looks exactly like you and me, but orange. No… he's not ugly enough to look like you!" Scourge joked as Sonic slapped him in the face, turning a few shades of blue darker until he was a dark navy color. Suddenly, an evil idea hatched in his mind. _Maybe I can make Sonic hate Danny so that he'll be _forced _to stay away from Cream! He'll _have _to stay with our gang… and he'll be the mindless slave that Fiona and I want him to be! He's such a push-over that he'll do anything we say!_

Scourge grinned evilly as he explained to Sonic, "C'mon hedgehog! The plan was simple! Danny lead the distraction by flirting with that bunny chick while everyone else fought it out with the rest of our gang. By the way- she's totally fooled! Danny is only nice to her because we tell him to! He's our spy hedgehog… so if there's anyone to blame, it's him!"

_That little punk! _Sonic thought angrily. "Lucky for you, I have to go save my girlfriend from her stalker, but I WILL come and beat the crap out of you one day! YOU HEAR ME?" Sonic yelled, totally unlike himself to raise his voice like that at anyone.

"Y-y-yes!" Scourge stuttered, horrified by Sonic's threat as he dashed off towards Scourge's dorm where he assumed Eric would be. _If that punk lays a _finger _on Amy, he's going to die! I hope she forgives me… _

"ERIC! PUT ME DOWN NOW! RIGHT NOW YOU CREEP!" Amy cried, still trying to break free of his grasp.

"Ugh… why do you have to be so hot yet so annoying?" Eric wondered. "Please, doll! Shut up! I don't want to have to make you!"

"NO! SONIC! HELP!" she screamed.

"Alright! That's it!" Eric yelled, punching Amy _hard _in the head, instantly knocking her out.

* * *

**OMG! ERIC HAS AMY! D: CREAM AND DANNY ARE TOGETHER! :D There's no escape now Amy... :'(**

**So... I think I've chosen 2 posting days for every week to balance out the days. Does every Tuesday and Saturday work? I know I want Saturday to be one of the days... but is Tuesday okay? If you think Tuesday is too soon after Saturday, or too far away from Saturday or whatever you think, please leave it in a review! Monday definetely can not be a posting day... or thursday... so if you would like me to post on a different day other than Tuesday (or Monday or Thursday) please let me know in a review! Thanks!**

**IS AMY GOING TO ESCAPE FROM ERIC? WILL SHE MAKE IT OUT ALIVE? (i know... very dramatic... but hey, anything's possible!) HOW IS SONIC GOING TO REACT TO DANNY? Find out in the next chapter! :D Please please please please please please review! :D Reviews get you air hugs! :D Thanks for reviewing:**

**Aravi Velez**

**GalexiatheChao**

**Lightning Man**

**Shadowstarwolf**

**Sonicdahedgehogfan**

**sonicathehedgehog**

**Hiding in his Shadow (anonymous reviewer with a mysterious yet punny name that I love) (I get it! :D Shadow! Shadow, like Shadow the hedge- I'm just making it less cool... I fail at life! XD)**

**Swift the Hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

**wind dragon (anonymous reviewer)**

**Thank you all! You all get air hugs! :D :D :D **

**Thanks for reading! Please review! You guys are awesome! :D Love you all! :D **


	17. Dorm Rescue

Hiya peoples! Sorry for such a late update! My mom has been in the hosptal all week, so I've pretty much been staying with her as much as I can. She had surgery and then something went wrong and she had to stay for longer than we all thought, so've been spending a lot of time away from my computer and by her bedside.

OKIE DOKIE! I've got a couple things to say before the chapter:

First, THANK YOU SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH TO Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf for the AMAZING drawing of Layla! IT'S PERFECT and I absolutely LOVE IT! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! :D If you want to see it, go to deviantart and it is called "Layla Hedgehog" by Silhouette180392. :D It is amazing! You should she it!

Lasty, I would to give a shout out to Swift the Hedgehog! Little birdy told me that your birthday is coming up! :D HAVE A FRABJOUS BIRTHDAY! Also, get well soon!

This chapter is dedicated to Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf and Swift the Hedgehog! :D You guys are amazing! :D

IMPORTANT: This chapter may seem like there is a lemon, but there is not sexual contact involved! Just a lot of making out! It's very unlike me to make a chapter like this one, but it was kinda important for the storyline! So: NO LEMON! Just grapejuice! (again... I have no idea!)

Sooooooooo here is Chapter 17! Again: sorry for the late update! Enjoy! Have a frabjous day!

* * *

Chapter 16: Dorm Rescue

**Eric's Dorm**

_Ugh… my head! _Amy thought, waking up to a dark room in which she had absolutely no idea where she was. _Where did Eric take me? I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE! _She panicked, trying to stand up, only to find that her arms and legs were tied to the chair she was sitting in. Suddenly, the lights flicked on, revealing a shirtless orange hedgehog staring at her adoringly as he leaned against the doorpost.

_What? What happened to my cover up? _She freaked, franticly looking at her bare stomach and around the room until she spotted four pink pieces of floral material laying on the floor by the bed; the same fabric of her cover up. _Fantastic… he took it off my body and ripped it to shreds… at least I'm still wearing my bathing suit!_

"You ready?" Eric asked, strutting towards Amy in attempt to look sexy.

"Don't touch me!" Amy shrieked, leaning her head back as far as the chair would allow her, closing her eyes as she braced herself for pain.

"Ha! Who's gonna stop me?" he laughed, "You're boyfriend?"

"I wish… Sonic doesn't love me anymore…" Amy informed him as a tear ran down her cheek.

"Don't be stupid, that moron loves you more than life itself. Luckily my breakup plan worked!" Eric laughed.

"WHAT!"

"That's right… Sonic kissed Sally by accident… this was all a ploy to get you here with me! And you fell for it! Scourge told Sonic that you saw, and now he thinks you two are over, so now you're all mine!" Eric plotted evilly, knowing that his plan had already succeeded.

"You just wait! I may not be Sonic's girl anymore, but he'll still come and kick your ass!" Amy assured him.

"Not with my bodyguards roaming around the dorm! Nic, Nack, Bark, and Sally won't let him get through! You're never leaving here Amy Rose! You'll end up like all of the others... a dead girl!"

"Others…?" Amy questioned tears stinging in her eyes.

"See that blood stain on the carpet?" Eric asked, pointing to a faded burgundy patch in the floor.

"Yeah," Amy replied nervously.

"Christine the Hedgehog; she was my babe last year." Eric explained, "She was _hot. _Yellow hedgehog with long brown hair; on the first day of school last year, I asked her out. Of course, she said yes and we hit it off right away… well, she didn't enjoy it… but I did. So, after our first date, I locked her in my room; tied her to the same chair you're sitting in now, and she was my love slave for 3 months; I made out with her every night –I didn't dare go any farther than just making out- until one day, she tried to escape. Christine was one tough chick; she fought it out with me pretty good, but… I'll just put it this way: I didn't let her get out alive."

Amy gasped, picturing a beautiful brunette hedgehog lying dead on the floor; blood staining her gorgeous golden fur. Quickly, the image changed to a sakura hedgehog with a red head band and a polka dot bikini taking her place, lying in a pool of blood on the carpet.

"There have been other girls… like that blood stain by the closet: Leah the Leopard. She was with me for a month before she finally decided to leave." He explained, "And if you look behind my dresser by the window, there's a massive hole in the wall. It was caused by Veronica the Cat, who fell through the wall 3 stories to her death. Cats don't always land on their feet." Eric scoffed, laughing at the memory. "All of the girls I've kept in here have been the hottest and most gorgeous girls I've ever seen… but you… you're different. You have to be the sexiest babe I've ever had, and I'm going to take extra special care of you, my lovely rose." Eric assured her as he kneeled down by her chair, stroking her cheeks and wiping the tears away.

Amy shuddered, turning away as Eric lifted her chin with his finger, leaning in about an inch away from her face as he whispered in her ear, "Just and you and me for the rest of your life… don't worry, every night I'll make it magical." Suddenly, Eric grabbed Amy's head, pulling it towards his face, forcing their lips together for a long passionate kiss as a tears slipped down Amy's cheeks. Eric held the kiss for about a minute until Amy started fiercely pulling away, dying for air.

"What's the matter, baby doll? Can't hold your breath for that long? That's fine, no big deal; after a few nights of practice you'll be a pro. One girl I owned, Rori Fox, she could go 4 minutes and 53 seconds without passing out! Well… immediately after that she passed out… actually most nights she'd faint… but when she fainted, it was soooo _hot_!" Eric admitted, "Since we're already going now... let's do a little practice!" he suggested, grabbing Amy's head again, pulling her toward him for another long kiss, this time wrapping his arms around her waist as he scooted her chair closer to him.

Completely horrified, Amy began sobbing as Eric forced their lips together, tears cascading down her face as she screamed through his embrace.

**Meanwhile with Sonic… **

Running at twice his normal speed, Sonic zipped along the beach, determined to reach Amy before he was possibly too late. _Those stupid punks! If Eric even _breathes _on Amy the wrong way… he'll be regretting his choices! And Danny! Oh, stupid Danny! He fooled us all… that stupid faker! (Wow… I sound like Shadow…) Poor Cream… she'll be heartbroken… he's never going to step foot in our dorm again! Let alone be able to hang out with us! Those two are going to pay! _Sonic thought, approaching the dorm, quickly dashing up the front steps to the door. _Alright… show time. _

Kicking open the door, Sonic barged in to find Bark, Nic, and Nack relaxing in the living room, watching TV as they sat laughing at the screams coming from Amy down the hall.

At sight of Sonic, the three jumped off the couch, ready for action as Nack, "Hey buddy… there's a reason why there's a doorbell! What the crap is wrong with you?"

Ignoring his questions, still in the form of Dark Sonic, he asked, "Where's Amy?"

Bark stepped up, getting in Sonic's face as he mocked, "What makes you think we're gonna tell you-"

In under a second, Bark was on the floor underneath Sonic's foot; his attack too fast for Nack and Nic to understand.

"Wanna tell me now? Or do you want to end up like your buddy here?" Sonic questioned intimidatingly, scaring the crap out of Nic and Nack.

"Uh… she's in Eric's Room! Last room to the left in the right wing of the dorm!" Nic cried, shaking in fear of Dark Sonic.

Without acknowledgement, Sonic rocketed off, following Nic's instructions desperately as he raced against time to save Amy, the thought of what Silver had told him at lunch on the first day of school echoing in his mind: _"That's Eric the Hedgehog. Avoid him at all costs. He's buddies with Scourge, and he's been known to do bad things to girls; by the looks of it, Amy is his next target… Amy is his next target… Amy is his next target…_

Gasping for air once more, Amy shrieked, "STOP! PLEASE! I'M ABOUT TO PASS OUT!"

"That's a good thing Amy! It means I'm breaking you out of your limits! Every time we make out, you'll be better! C'mon babe! Let's try again!" Eric commanded, forcing their lips together, tears pouring out of Amy's eyes as Eric ran his finger through her soft pink quills. Suddenly, Amy felt weak as her eyes began rolling back into her head, the room spinning as she collapsed back into the chair; completely unconscious.

Just as Amy fainted, the door slammed open as a navy blue blur zipped around the room, confusing Eric as he stood protectively in front of Amy. _Oh great! How did he find out I had Amy! _Eric panicked as Sonic stopped in his face, scaring the crap out of him.

"WHY THE HELL DID YOU TAKE AMY, HUH? YOU STUPID PUNK! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'VE DONE! WHAT WAS YOUR PLAN- KEEP HER HERE FOREVER UNTIL I FIGURED OUT WHERE SHE WAS?" Sonic interrogated, picking Eric up by the neck.

"Uhh… sorta?" Eric choked out as Sonic threw him hard against the dull white wall, falling to the ground while Sonic quickly untied Amy, carefully placing her unconscious body on the bed as he attended to unfinished business.

Pinning Eric to the wall, Sonic punched him in the stomach as he yelled, "WHY IS SHE PASSED OUT? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?"

Holding Eric by his shoulders, he coughed a few times before sneering, "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU, HEDGEHOG! I'LL TELL YOU THE TRUTH!" He shouted, getting up in Sonic's face, "I WAS MAKING OUT WITH YOUR GIRLFRIEND!"

"YOU ASSHOLE!" Sonic cried, punching Eric across the face until he fell to the ground, scared for his life. "YOU TOTALLY INVADED HER PRIVACY! YOU DON'T THINK I RECOGNIZE THAT MATERIAL ON THE BED? YOU TOOK OFF HER COVER UP AND THEN FORCED HER TO LOVE YOU! YOU SCUMBAG! YOU DIDN'T EVEN THINK ABOUT HER RIGHTS!" Sonic yelled, anger completely taking over as he kicked Eric in the head. "YOU MAKE ME SICK!" He screamed, giving him a final blow in the head, leaving him barely conscious.

Picking up Amy in bridal style off of the bed, he slowly backed away towards the door as he warned, "If you come within a mile within Amy, I swear over my dead body that I won't be leaving you conscious if that ever happens. In fact, you might not even make it out alive! You hear me! STAY AWAY FROM HER OR YOU'LL BE SORRY!"

Dashing out of the room, Sonic rocketed back to their dorm as a shaking Eric slowly stood up, his entire body completely drenched in blood as he limped over to the chair that Amy once sat in. Holding his arms out in front of him, a purple beam shot out of his palms at the chair, engulfing it in a violet light. Suddenly, the wooden chair began getting smaller and smaller in the purple glow, until it was only about an inch tall, sitting in the palm on Eric's hand. Balling his hand into a fist, he crushed the wooden seat as he gritted through his teeth, "No Sonic… the next time _I _get my hands on Amy, _you_ better stay away, because I've got my own secret weapon that is more powerful than anything in the world. Let me tell you this now hedgehog: size does matter."

**Back at the Dorm**

Bolting into the dorm and slamming the door in anger, Sonic stormed into the living room to find Rouge with Knuckles, sitting on the couch watching TV while Cream and Danny sat on another sofa, holding hands as she showed him a photo album of her and Cheese while Danny pictures of him and Lulu on his phone. Tails and Mina were in his lab, working hard on the inventions he wanted to show Colette for "Wicked"; Tails assembled the machines while Mina kept him company, handing him the necessary tools he needed at the moment. Everyone else seemed to be missing… or at least up to something else; they didn't even seem to notice that Sonic and Amy were missing.

Quickly, Sonic ran with Amy into her room as he gently placed her in her bed, tucking her under the covers as he made sure she was safe before temporarily leaving the room: he had one more thing he needed to do. Walking out of the girls wing, he stormed back into the living room, ready to give a certain bunny a piece of his mind.

Approaching him, Danny smiled and greeted, "Hey Sonic! What's up?"

"You know what's up. Do you think I'm some kind of idiot?" Sonic asked, "I know what you're up to!"

"What are you talking about? Is something wrong?" Danny asked innocently, seriously confused by Sonic's behavior.

"You've been playing us all for fools! Scourge told me all about you! I know you lead the 'distraction' that caused Eric to get to Amy!" Sonic exclaimed, now getting the attention of Rouge and Knuckles.

"Sonic, buddy? What's going on?" Knuckles asked, getting up from the couch along with Rouge to investigate.

"This little punk is a spy!" Sonic accused.

"WHAT!" cried Danny, Rouge, Knuckles and Cream for all different reasons.

"Sonic, I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not a spy! I'm just here to be with Cream!" Danny defended.

"Yeah, well how do you explain what happened earlier?" Sonic interrogated.

"Uhh… Sonic? What happened earlier…?" Knuckles asked nervously.

"Well… I went to the Boardwalk to get chili dogs for Amy and I, when Sally came and just started making out with me! It turned out that it was just a scheme for Eric to get Amy to believe that I was cheating on her, so then he kidnapped her and forced her to make out with him until she passed out! Scourge told me this little jerk was behind it all!" Sonic explained.

"OH MY GOD! But that's true… where were you when Nic, Nack, and Bark attacked?" Rouge asked.

"Those goons attacked?" Sonic freaked.

"Yup! Actually, we almost had a casualty! Bark shot Blaze with Nic's pistol, but lucky for her, Silver was there and he used his telekinesis to stop the bullet!" Rouge confirmed. "I understand where Scourge and Sally were; Fiona's still a mystery, but I bet she had something to do with Layla and Shadow. But where were you?"

"Yeah, where _were _you!" Knuckles asked.

"He was with me!" Cream defended Danny, hugging him in protection.

"Do you know why he was with you, Cream?" Sonic questioned.

"Well… he just kinda came… and he told me that he loved me." Cream said, smiling and blushing as Danny held her against his chest.

"I don't know how to tell you this Cream, but he only likes you because Scourge told him to like you." Sonic admitted.

"WHAT! That's not true! Right Danny?" Cream asked.

"Actually, that's the opposite of what Scourge told me, Sonic!" Danny confessed, scratching his head, "Scourge told me to avoid Cream, but I didn't listen."

"Well, Scourge told me that your job was to distract Cream! Isn't that true?" Sonic interrogated.

"Well… uhh…" Danny stuttered as Cream gasped in disbelief.

"IS IT!" Sonic asked again, this time more forceful.

"YES!" Danny confessed, "But I only agreed because I knew it would mean I would get to spend more time with you, Cream! I swear! I knew it would be the perfect time for me to confess my love for you! You have to believe me!" Danny cried, tears forming in his eyes as his hands shook in nervousness.

Speechless, Cream sat looking down at her hands in disappointment, unable to move or think.

"Danny, leave, now! Don't come back! Tell your idiot friends to stay away from us!" Sonic yelled.

Completely shocked, Danny stuttered, "But-"

"LEAVE! You aren't welcome here anymore! Do you realize what you've done! LEAVE! NOW!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Okay… bye Cream. I hope you know that I'll regret my mistake for the rest of my life." Danny told her with a tear rolling down his cheek as she sat unresponsive, unable to even look at him as he walked out the front door and down the front porch steps.

"I'm really sorry, Cream." Sonic comforted, "It's for the best, I promise. Danny will never step foot in our dorm, and I'll make sure he never hurts you again." He assured her, giving her a friendly hug as he slowly turned back to his normal shade of blue.

"It's okay." Cream said hugging him back, "Thanks for looking out for me Sonic. If I were you, I'd go look after Amy; she needs you more than anything right now."

"Oh, Amy! That's right! Thanks Cream!" Sonic cheered, zipping out of the room. "Oh, by the way:" he said, dashing back into the living room, "Sorry you guys had to see that side of me,"

"That's okay Sonic. As much as you freaked me out as Dark Sonic, I know you did it for a good cause." Knuckles joked.

"If you thought _that _was freaky, you should have seen the way I scared the hell out of Eric! Hilarious! I think that image of me is gonna haunt him in his dreams!" Sonic laughed, entering the girl's wing as Rouge and Knuckles went to turn the TV back on.

"Uhh… this whole thing has kinda made me feel a little light headed… I'm going to go get some fresh air." Cream told Knuckles and Rouge as she headed towards the front door with her head on her forehead until she shut the door. _I must be a better actress than I thought! I was able to keep a straight face through all of that, plus make them believe I was sick! _She thought, frantically looking for Danny who couldn't be too far away; after all, he had just left. From the top of the high front porch, Cream spotted a bunny with long brown shaggy hair walking toward the beach, his ears drooping as his head hung low, looking down at the ground in sadness.

Running after him, she flew down the steps of the porch as she shouted, "Danny! Wait up!"

Danny's head shot up as he turned around in shock _Is that Cream? _He imagined _Oh no! If it is, I can't let her see that I've been crying._ To his surprise, his love was running towards him as fast as her legs could carry her. Finally reaching Danny, Cream ran into his arms, instantly bringing her lips to his, making a tear escape down his face.

Breaking apart, Cream wiped the tear off of his cheek, quoting, "Danny, just smile." She smiled warmly at him, instantly causing him to cheer up, "I wanted to tell you that I was acting back there. I was afraid that if I didn't listen to Sonic, you'd get hurt; just like if you don't listen to Scourge, then I'll get hurt. I still love you Danny, and I don't want to lose you over this war between our friends!" Cream confessed.

"Oh, Cream! I thought I lost you! You know I would _never _act like I like you! Because I really _love _you! I honestly don't what I'd do without you… I think I'd die. I couldn't stand being without you for less than 5 minutes, so how would an entire lifetime go? I'm so glad you feel the same way!" Danny cheered.

"So how are we going to do this?" Cream asked, taking his hand. "Neither of our friends want us to be together…"

"I guess we're going to have to hang out in secret." Danny decided happy to be holding Cream in his arms. "We're the real life versions of Romeo and Juliet."

"I hope our story doesn't have a sad ending though…" Cream worried.

"I promise it won't Cream. I'll do everything I can to protect you from Scourge, Fiona, and iguanas!" Danny assured her, giving her a hug as she gave him a puzzled look.

"Iguanas?" Cream asked, trying to stifle her laughter.

"Yes… iguanas…" he confirmed, "Ever since I was little, I've always been freaked out by those scaly guys!" Danny shuddered, "But don't worry… if they come, I'll protect you."

"Ummm… thanks Danny… that's really brave of you…" Cream said, giving Danny weird looks as they hugged it out.

* * *

**GASP! ERIC MADE OUT WITH AMY TIL SHE PASSED OUT! GOOD THING SONIC SAVED HER BEFORE SHE ENDED UP LIKE CHRISTINE! Also, ERIC CAN SHRINK THINGS? He has shrinking abilities! Can he shrink people? That would be really scary... **

**Thanks for Reviewing:**

**Aravi Velez**

**Shadowstarwolf**

**Danny Phantoms Ghost Writer**

**GalexiatheChao**

**sonicathehedgehog**

**Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf**

**iSparkle-Hime**

**Hiding in his Shadow (anonymous reviewer with an awesome name)**

**speedyblue (anonymous reviewer)**

**Anissa C (anonymous reviewer)**

**wind dragon (anonymous reviewer)**

**Thanks for reviewing guys! Reviews get you air hugs or air cookies! (not just any ordinary sugar cookie... the YUMMY DELICIOUSLY AMAZING PILLSBURY SUGAR COOKIES WITH THE PICTURES ON THEM! You know the ones I'm talking about? They come out around holidays around the year and have pictures that correspond to th holiday...? Like for Halloween, they have ones with ghosts on them, and then for Christmas, they have reindeer...? Those are my favorite! :D :D :D But yes... you get air pillbury sugar cookies and air hugs!)**

**WILL DANNY AND CREAM BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN THEIR SECRECY? HOW WILL AMY REACT WHEN SHE WAKES UP! Find out next chapter! (which I promise will be posted sooner than last!)**

**Thanks for reading! Please review!** **:D**


	18. Two Empty Stools

Hiya peoples! OMG, I'm updating slower and slower... I'm SOOO sorry! My mom we just released from the hospital yesterday; everything was fine for a while, but she was having these freaky panic attacks where she thought she was going to die (believe me, scarier than anything I've ever seen!), so they decided to keep her longer. Everything is fine now! She's home, and that's all I'm able to think about now! Sometimes you never know how lucky you are to have someone until they're gone... I just learned that over the past week or two.

DUDE! GUESS WHAT! WE'VE REACHED 100 REVIEWS! :D :D :D OH MY GOD! I AM SOOOOOOO LUCKY TO HAVE AMAZING READERS LIKE YOU! EVERY SINGLE ONE OF YOU, YOU GUYS ARE FREAKIN FANTASTIC! I LOVE YOU ALL! WHETHER IT BE YOU JUST READ THE FIRST CHAPTER, OR YOU'VE STUCK WITH IT UNTIL NOW, YOU. ARE. AWESOME! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU! Each review you give means SSSSSOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO much to me! :D Thank you guys much! Most people aren't lucky enough to get 1 review, but you guys have given 100! Which is wayyyyy more than I could have ever dreamed of getting! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! I LOVE YOU GUYS! :D

Well, I've gott run to Chorus... By the way: please ignore the whole "I'll post on Tuesdays and Saturdays" thing. I'll post twice a week, but I'll do it whenever! :D

Again: THANK YOU SOOO MUCH FOR THE 100 REVIEWS! I'm not going to leave an A/N at the bottom this time... sorry! If you reviewed last chapter, I'll include your name down there next update! I'm seriously scattering to run out the door! :P

Sooo... here's Chapter 18! Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

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Chapter 18: Two Empty Stools

**Cafeteria; Thursday later that week; Day before "Wicked" Auditions**

"Tails, I am _freaking out! FA-REAKING OUT!" _Mina panicked, pulling her hair as her face turned red as if steam was about to explode out of her ears.

"What's wrong?" Tails asked, pushing away the pizza he was nibbling on.

"Wicked auditions are tomorrow, and if I just can't get Glinda's voice down! I'm _not _a country girl! I don't have a southern twang! Oh Tails, what am I gonna do?" she cried, dramatically resting her head against her forehead as she fell against Tails' shoulder in despair.

"Well you definitely have the actress part down!" Sonic joked at Mina's impressive display.

"Aww, thanks Sonic! But seriously! I don't know which accent to use! Do I use a southern Alabama twang like "Hey y'all! Yer' gonna be popul-ER!" Or maybe an old west accent that sounds like "Howdy partner! You varments are gonna be popul-ER!" Or maybe-"

"Wait Mina, I think I know which one you should use!" Tails realized as Mina literally jumped on top of him in excitement.

"REALLY! TELL! TELL! TELL!" she freaked, shaking his arm in suspense and stress.

"Well, I've seen "Wicked" plenty of times before in Station Square, but what I noticed is: Glinda's voice is more of a "Southern Valley Girl", so she can be a bubbly, ditsy city girl, but, she still has a small southern twang. Do you know what I'm talking about?" he asked, knowing that he naturally sucks at explaining things.

"And you know this… how?" Sonic asked Tails in a sarcastic tone.

"Uh… I've seen a lot of Broadway?" Tails mumbled as Sonic burst out laughing.

"Tails buddy, that's something a guy doesn't say out loud." Sonic laughed, taking Tails by the shoulder for his brotherly advice.

"Whatever Sonic… just… whatever." Tails joked, playfully rolling his eyes.

"You see why I've kept that a secret for all those years?" Shadow whispered to Layla.

"Yeah… he he…" Layla giggled quietly, "Hey guys, a guy shouldn't have to hide his love for Broadway!" Layla said louder. After about 5 seconds of complete silence, everyone but Tails, Layla and Shadow busted out laughing; Sonic and Knuckles both fell out of their stools onto the floor, choking on their food as the others continued giggling.

"Haha! You're really funny, Layla! That was a good one!" Sonic laughed, wiping a tear from his eye.

"Thanks for trying…" Shadow mumbled.

"I do what I can…" Layla whispered back as the two hid their faces in shame in two dogs that were just caught lying on the sofa.

"So… would it be like "Oh my gosh! You're gonna be popul-AR!" Mina acted, making a perfect impression of Glinda.

"YES! THAT'S PERFECT!" Tails cheered, high fiving Mina.

"Tails…" Sonic mumbled, catching his little bro's Broadway obsession.

"Shut up Sonic." Tails whispered, smiling at Sonic in a playful way.

"Holy crap Mina! With your awesome voice and incredible and so-good-it's-almost-creepy imitation of Glinda, you are GARUNTEED the part of Glinda!" Layla assured her.

"Aww! Thanks guys! You're amazing!" Mina laughed, hugging Tails as the others continued eating and socializing; something seemed to be missing. Looking around, Mina's eyes scanned the table until she spotted two empty chairs, grabbing everyone else's attention to them problem: Silver and Blaze were still gone.

"Blaze still hasn't woken up yet?" Amy asked, looking sadly at the two empty stools on the other side of the circular lunch table where Blaze and Silver normally sat.

"Nope… I went to check on her yesterday before I went to bed. She's still completely passed out; she hasn't shown any signs of waking up." Layla confirmed. "She's so lucky to have a guy like Silver as her best friend; he's been so loyal, but I can't help but worry about him." She told them, "He hasn't left her side since the incident! He's just been so worried about her… it's driving him insane; he's been sitting in that chair next to her bed for 5 days now, holding her hand and checking for a pulse."

"Wow… last time I went to check on Blaze was this morning. Silver looked like he was in rough shape. He hasn't slept a wink or eaten anything! It's like it's killing him; seeing her like this is just destroying him." Amy described when suddenly a certain orange hedgehog caught her eye. Across the cafeteria, Eric sat gripping his fork in anger as he stared down Sonic and Amy.

"Sonic… he's doing it again…" Amy whispered nervously as they both stared back.

"Will that guy ever give up? This is the 4th time this week!" Sonic exclaimed as Amy hugged his arm for protection.

"What's going on?" Mina asked.

"Eric's been staring Amy down ever since what happened on Saturday and it's really freaking her out. I can't stand seeing her like this… I think I'm just about ready to do something about it!" Sonic growled, standing up as someone pulled him back down.

"Sonic, don't! It will just make things worse… it will make him more intrigued to take me. He loves it when you get mad; he thinks it's funny." Amy informed him, holding his arm so he wouldn't get up.

"He's planning something… I just know it." Sonic thought, glaring at Eric who had his tongue stuck out at him, laughing at his "unmanliness" for backing away from a fight.

"Just ignore that scumbag." Knuckles suggested, as Sonic nodded in agreement. "Besides, what could he possibly do to you? He thinks he's all tough because of his dirty reputation, but he's really a wimp who won't fight back. The second you throw a fist in his face, the punk will run."

"Yeah, you're right Knux. He's a wimp; he won't even fight back when I rescued Amy, but that didn't stop me. I don't think there was a single spot on his entire body that wasn't drenched in blood." Sonic remembered.

Staring at her reflection in her chicken noodle soup, Cream sighed, pushing her tray away, having no appetite. Suddenly, she heard a loud eruption of laughter coming from the other end of the cafeteria. Turning out of curiosity, Cream scrutinized the scene to see where it came from, and of course, it came from none other than Scourge and Fiona's gang. In the far right corner of the cafeteria, everyone in their group stood up, screaming and laughing as Scourge made fun of random people, but amongst the group, one sat with his cheek resting in his hand on the table, sighing in depression as he watched his "friends": Danny.

Giving a warm soft smile, Cream gave Danny a small subtle wave as they both longed for each other's company.

"I miss you," Danny mouthed, waving back.

"I miss you too," Creamed lipped, blowing him a kiss.

"Cream, who are you talking to?" Mina asked, interrupting their long distance silent conversation.

"Oh… no one. I just had some food stuck in my teeth and I didn't want you to have to watch me try to get it out." Cream lied, sticking her finger in between her teeth.

RIiIiIiING! Screamed the bell, as everyone began getting up and heading towards 3rd period.

**Chorus**

"Heya people!" Colette said casually as the Sonic gang walked into the Chorus Room. After getting everyone seated, Colette began, "Alright, class! Just a few reminders! "Wicked" audtions are tomorrow evening after school! Remember: you must must _must_ have a partner of the -"opposite sex" I should say- to sing the audition song with you if you want any of the roles that consist of: Glinda, Elphaba, Fiyero, Madame Morrible, The Wizard, Boq or Nessarose." Colette informed them, gasping for air after saying that entire thing in one breath, "Another thing to have on your mind: those of you wanting the Mobius College of Music Scholarship, the recruitment agency for MCM will be at one of your performances to judge you. This performance will not be the deciding factor on if you make it into MCM, however, if you make it into the show and do well, it sure will help you!" she explained. "Alright… now that all of the information that I had to tell you by school policy is over… let's take role!" she announced, looking for the class roster, "Uh… I left the roster in the theater this morning! I'll be right back!"

Turning in his seat, Scourge and Fiona glared at Layla and Shadow as he asked, "So Layla, I didn't like what you did to Fiona. I didn't like it _at all. _You're a freak; a witch! What did you do to her?" Scourge questioned intensely, pulling Layla up by her tie, choking her.

"Yeah, bitch! What was that red glow? Are you some kind of evil witch with magic powers?" Fiona laughed, slapping Layla to get the information she wanted.

"Get out of here! Leave her alone! You don't understand her situation, and you never will! So just stop targeting her all the time!" Shadow defended, pushing the couple away from Layla as he wrapped his arms around her in protection.

"There's nothing more to not understand!" Scourge exclaimed, "She's a witch!" he yelled right as the door slammed shut, loud enough for everyone in the room's heads to turn.

"Ha… I always do that to make a dramatic entrance! Scourge and Fiona, get your butts back in your seats!" Colette commanded, actually raising her voice, "And no- I mean your _own _seat, not your boyfriends lap!"

"Oh c'mon!" Scourge yelled, crossing his arms in anger as Fiona took the seat next to him and put his arm around her shoulder.

"Okay! Today we are mainly going to be talking about "Wicked the Musical" and auditions and all that crap!" Colette said, "I have a suggestion for you all, and this might be an awkward and/or touchy suggestion for you all since I'm the teacher and you guys are students, but who cares? I'm only 21! Alright so here it is: for those of you people who want to audition and have a boyfriend or girlfriend, I would seriously suggest auditioning with them, and here's the reason why: this musical is all about romance and love. In your audition, as you're singing "As Long As You're Mine", we –the judges- will not only be looking for good voices, we'll be watching for that passion that you have when you really care for somebody; you either have to really show us that you care for this person by expressing it into the music and overall look of the scene, or… you have to be a really good actor." Colette explained.

Quickly, Layla and Shadow exchanged smiles as they turned back to Colette, ready to listen to the rest of her speech.

"In your audition, we want you to run through the scene exactly how you think you would if you were really performing. We might even want you to kiss at the end. The reason that auditioning with your girlfriend/ boyfriend might be a good idea is because that passion of love is already there; you just have to bring it out on stage! If it isn't… I would consider breaking up." She joked, jumping to the next topic. "Alright, another topic that is really important in this production is costumes and sets. Anyone have any suggestions?"

"Uhh… Colette? I actually made a few inventions that I thought might be affective to the show. Do you want me to show you?" Tails asked.

"Of course, Tails! Word around the school is you're a techno genius." Colette told him as Tails and Mina stood up, ready to show the class.

"Uh… I wouldn't exactly say 'genius', but-" Tails stuttered.

"Tails! Stop being so modest!" Mina laughed, "You're the smartest person I know! I mean- who else could have built machines like this?"

Blushing, Tails handed Mina a small metal ring, as he argued, "Well you helped! You ready to show em' what we made?" Tails asked.

"Yuppers! Let's go!" Mina giggled, clipping the ring around her wrist like a bracelet.

"So what's that?" Colette asked Tails, pointing to the ring on Mina's wrist.

"That is a Mini Holographic Image Projector (MHIP) that I've programed to use for body paint and make up. Instead of wasting time and money on painting Elphaba's skin green, you can just project the green color onto yourself. Unlike a normal projector that projects shadows when you step in front of it, the MHIP only projects onto your skin, covering every inch of your body with the color you want. And it's convenient because it functions as a bracelet, so you could just wear it underneath your costume and it would still work fine!" Tails explained as Mina demonstrated, "In order to get the right color, you will have to find the correct code on my chart. So if Mina wanted to change her fur color to be green like Elphaba, she would type the code "7485" into the number pad on her bracelet, because that is the matching code for "emerald green" on my chart." Tails informed the class, as Mina typed in '7485' into the MHIP.

"In order for the MHIP to scan your entire body, you will need to hold your wrist out in front of you like Mina is right now." He said, pointing to Mina. Suddenly, a bright light shot out from the ring, scanning her entire body once, and then rescanning, but the second time changing her skin color to a beautiful emerald green that actually complimented her purple hair very nicely.

"Oooo! I'm green! This is so awesome!" Mina giggled, dancing around as she hummed the tune to "Defying Gravity".

"Wow Tails! That's amazing! Holy crap, that's really impressive!" Colette complemented, gaping at his incredible invention.

"Thanks Colette! Mina and I worked pretty hard on them over the past few days." Tails smiled as Mina blushed, "Hey Mina, keep dancing for me!" Tails instructed as Mina happily followed his orders. "Do you see how no matter which way she turns the green still stays on her like it is actual paint, no technology included? Well, I've taken the particles of light and microscopically added a chemical to make the atoms that make up the light stick together, causing the projection to stick to her fur, creating an alternate exoskeleton in which she can move around in like normal skin, without glitches." Tails explained, receiving expressions of deep confusion from the class.

"Uh… how about in English, geek?" Fiona insulted.

Rolling his eyes, Tails explained in lighter text, "I took the green light and made it stick to her fur."

"Ohhhhhh!" Everyone realized in unison.

"Dang Mina… I've gotta say: you look pretty hot in emerald. Welcome to the green side!" Scourge joked as Fiona punched him in the stomach, "What!" he asked in confusion as his girlfriend fumed with jealousy.

"Wow Tails! I'm speechless!" Colette applauded, thinking it couldn't possibly get any better.

"Wait! There's more!" Tails pointed out, getting Colette even more excited.

"Using the help of Mina and her awesome voice, I was able to create this!" Tails presented, pulling a metal box about the size of a shoebox out of his backpack.

"What is it?" Colette asked in curiosity, staring at the machine in awe as Tails turned it on.

"When you're in a Broadway Musical, you have to be as theatrical as possible, and if you are a born actor, you tend to say your lines a little differently every time you run through the show. The Cue Player uses voice recognition software that allows the performers to go through their lines/lyrics at any speed that they want; so once the cue player hears them say a certain line, it would automatically cue the next song, or the instrumental inside a song." Tails tried to explain, still receiving puzzled looks from the group.

"Uhh… sorry guys… I'm not that good at explaining…" Tails admitted.

"Don't worry Tails! I'll show em' how it works!" Mina cheered as Tails smiled in agreement.

"Okay! Thanks Mina!" Tails exclaimed as he programed the Cue Player to the accompaniment to music from "Wicked". "Which song do you want me to use for the demo?"

"Hmm… how about "Popular!" Mina suggested as Tails gave her a wink and a thumbs up in acknowledgement. "Ready?"

"Let's do it!" she cheered as the music started playing. "Whenever I see someone, less fortunate than " Mina sang, holding out the note as the cue player patiently waited for her to sing her next line, "And face it, who isn't, less fortunate than I? My tender heart tends to start to bleed…" Mina paused as the the Cue Player, waiting the play the next note until Mina began singing once more, "" she quickly sang, speeding up the tempo as the Cue Player followed, speeding up the music with her.

"Wow!" Colette cried, jumping out of her seat and grabbing Tails' hand. "TAILS! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE JUST INVENTED?" she exclaimed, "Do you know how far away in musical theater technology this is? For YEARS people have tried to create a machine that makes the accompaniment play along at the speed of the performer, and NONE of them have succeeded! This technology was YEARS in the future!" Colette gasped.

"Uh… what would you say if I created a machine that is exactly like the Cue Player, but controls lights and curtains?" Tails asked nervously.

"I would offer you to be our Head Technical Producer!" Colette offered, shaking his hand, "So what do you say, Tails? Will you do it? I'd love to have a Head Technical Producer like you!"

"Of course!" Tails smiled, jumping around in excitement. "Thank you soooo much Colette! I've got so many more ideas I'd love to tell you about! I'll get to work right away!" he assured her, saluting as if he was being sworn in to a big responsibility.

"Great little buddy! And by the looks of it, you have an assistant, and probably a Glinda!" Colette hinted to Mina.

"REALLY! You think I might be GLINDA!" Mina questioned in disbelief.

"Heck yeah! That was the best Glinda impression I've ever heard! And you're voice was even better! As long as you sing like that at the auditions, you've got a pretty good shot, kiddo!" Colette assured her.

"Well… I'm touched, but I have a teency, weency little problem." She remembered, looking disappointed, "I don't have an audition partner. I don't know any guys who are auditioning at all." Mina frowned.

"Hm… Glinda doesn't really have too many romantic parts, and I really think you've got a pretty good chance of getting her, so… oh, what the heck? You can audition by yourself, but you obviously can't sing "As Long As You're Mine" alone, so how about you sing "Popular"?" Colette suggested.

"Oh yes! Yes! Yes! YES! Thank you SOOO much Colette! I owe you big time!" Mina cheered, hugging Colette as they both jumped up and down. Quickly afterwards, she squealed, running to hug Tails in celebration as Fiona and Scourge rolled their eyes in annoyance.

"It's okay Scourge… as long as I get Elphaba, everything's cool." Fiona whispered, "The only thing on my mind is Layla's defeat. Besides, by the looks of it now, she doesn't have an audition partner!"

"It better stay that way… if not, we're gonna _make _it stay that way." Scourge sneered, glaring at Layla with evil eyes.

**Meanwhile back at the Dorm…**

_My Mental log: Day 5: It's been 5 days. 5 days since I've seen her sparkling topaz eyes. 5 days since I've heard the warmth of her voice. 5 days since I've seen her gorgeous smile. I'm starting to lose hope; her heartbeat is constant and she's breathing fine, but she isn't waking up… I don't understand. _Silver thought, rubbing his drooping eyes and fighting the empty feeling in his stomach; he wasn't leaving her side.

"Oh Blaze, please please _please_ come back to me!" Silver cried, the stress transforming itself into tears. "Oh Blaze…" he sobbed, burying his face in one of his hands, letting the other rest in Blaze's hand as he let himself cry for the first time in 5 days; he wouldn't normally cry in front of anyone other than Blaze, but since he was alone, he found it to be okay to cry.

"Ugh…. Wuh? Silver?" Blaze called with a confused expression on her face. "What happened?"

"Blaze! You're awake!" Silver exclaimed, quickly wrapping her in a hug as she sat up in her bed, still completely clueless of his reaction.

"How long have I been out?" she asked, scratching her head while stretching her arms in the air.

"Uh… 5 DAYS!" Silver smiled, happy to hear her voice again.

"What! Oh great… not again…" Blaze groaned, slapping her forehead in worry.

"Huh? Again? This has happened before?" Silver asked, pulling himself onto the bed next to her as she nodded slowly and nervously.

"I guess I have to tell you the whole story now, don't I?" Blaze realized.

"Yup!" Silver replied, ready to listen.

"Fine… I guess I have to." Blaze gave in, "Silver, remember back in 3rd grade how I told you I was a princess?" she asked cautiously.

"Yeah…?" he replied carefully, nervous about what was coming next.

"Well, when I was little –probably around 6 years old- I was abducted in the middle of the night by thugs who thought they could make a lot of money off of my ransom. Since I am the guardian of the Sol Emeralds, everyone in the kingdom was well aware of my pyrokinesis abilities, so they made sure to tie my hands up so I couldn't use my powers to escape." She explained, "I was missing for 3 days until some of the knights from the castle finally came to the rescue, barging into the thug's secret hideaway with their swords drawn out, ready to fight. Then, one of the thugs had a knife to my throat, promising to kill me if they didn't have the money for my ransom."

"What did they do? Did they give them the money?" Silver asked eagerly, as if he was a little kid dying in suspense from a storybook.

"Well… no." Blaze sighed, "One of the knights decided to attack the thug holding me at knifepoint, so he threw his sword at him at full force. The thug, being a bluffing coward, threw me in the path of the flying sword while he dove to safety, only to be grabbed by another knight ready to take him prisoner. Anyway, I closed my eyes ready for pain as the blade flew at me, until I ended up waiting for about 5 seconds, realizing the sword didn't hit me." Blaze remembered, "When I opened my eyes, I found the blade stuck in the wooden floorboard, about a quarter of an inch away from my stomach. Right then, I passed out, totally in shock of what had happened, so I don't remember anything else that happened, but I do know that I woke up in my room about five or six days later, surrounded by dozens of people worried about my condition."

"Wow… so this _has _happened before!" Silver realized, "Sorry I'm not a fancy castle doctor or servant or something…" Silver mumbled.

"Oh Silver…" Blaze grinned, rolling her eyes, "Do you honestly think I'd rather have a bunch of people I don't even know swarming me than having you holding my hand by my side the second I woke up?" she questioned, crossing her arms, "All of those people only knew me as "Princess Blaze: Guardian of the Sol Emeralds", but you… you know me as just "Blaze". No fancy title. No big responsibilities. Just "Blaze", and that's what I _love _about you Silver! You're my best friend, and even though you know I'm a princess, you don't treat me like royalty, which, trust me, I really appreciate. I wouldn't rather spend this moment with anyone else but you, Silver." Blaze admitted, hugging him as he blushed.

"I'm glad you feel that way, Blaze." Silver acknowledged, holding her tight.

"So, why _did _Bark decide to pull the trigger? Why did they attack in the first place?" Blaze questioned as Silver laughed, expecting to hear the question sooner or later.

"Well, apparently it was all a distraction so Eric could take Amy. Eric took her during the fight so neither of us even knew where she was; we thought she went with Sonic to go get chili dogs, but that definitely was not the case." Silver told her, "Eric made out with her until she passed out! She's the first of his "dates" to make it home!" Silver thought aloud, remembering how Christine the Hedgehog wasn't seen after the night of their first date.

"Wow… ugh! I should've known! Stupid stupid stupid! It was all a plan!" Blaze realized, smacking herself upside the head when suddenly, her stomach growled. "Man… I forgot how hungry I am."

"Oh yeah! I have your favorite in the fridge! I picked it up last night!" Silver remembered, winking at Blaze.

"Stinky Cheese pepperoni and anchovy pizza?" Blaze questioned eagerly as Silver nodded, "Oh Silver! You didn't have to do that for me!"

"No Problem! I mean, if I woke up from a 5 day coma, that's the first thing I'd want!" Silver agreed, "I'll go heat it up for you."

"Thanks Silver." Blaze smiled, giving him a hug as he began to get off of the bed. "Oh, Silver?"

"Yeah, Blaze?" Silver responded, instantly by her bedside.

"Thanks for saving my life," she said, leaning over and giving him a quick kiss on the cheek.

Silver blushed as he replied, "No Problem."

**After Chorus**

"Cream! Wait!" Danny cried, grabbing Cream by the shoulder as the rest of the gang walked on towards Gym.

"Danny!" Cream squealed in delight, giving him an 'Amy Rose hug', "I miss you so much!"

"I miss you too, this sucks. Bad." He sighed, "I have an idea!" he remembered, almost forgetting what he wanted to tell her over his excitement of just being able to talk to her. "Let's audition for Wicked! Together!"

"Hahaha! That's funny Danny! You're hilarious! You know I can't sing!" Cream laughed.

"Yes you can! You're amazing! C'mon Cream! Let's audition for a smaller role; you and me! Maybe Boq and Nessarose?" he questioned as a plan popped into his head.

"I don't know…" she said, shaking her head, looking at her shoes.

"Cream, you've got nothing to worry about! You can only regret what you didn't do! You only get one life to live, so why not live it now?" he pointed out, taking her hand, looking right in her eyes.

"Hmm… you're right! Let's do it!" Cream exclaimed, but her smile quickly turned to a worried expression as she realized, "But Danny, wouldn't Sonic and Scourge kill us for spending time together?" Cream worried.

Smirking, Danny said, "I'm one step ahead of you, doll!" he smiled, "Tomorrow afternoon, meet me at the auditions, but sit alone, away from me and then I'll make my move. Play along, m'kay?"

"Okie dokie! Whatever you say…" Cream thought aloud as Danny gave her a kiss on the forehead.

"Go catch up with the others so they don't get suspicious. I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too, Danny. See you later." Cream choked out before a tear slipped down her cheek. She couldn't express how much she wished she could stay in his arms forever, but unfortunately, their love was forbidden.


	19. Audition Day

Hiya peoples! Wow... I haven't posted in a long time! I'M SOOOOOOO SORRY! About a week after my mom got out of the hospital, she took a tumble going down the stairs, breaking a few ribs, a foot, and seriously re-injuring her back! So... I've been taking care of her. She's doing a lot better now; she's almost back to her normal self! :D

Since this chapter is the audition day, I posted all of the music to their auditions on my youtube channel! :D **LaylaHedgie**

Also... thank you SOOOOOOO much for your reviews! We're at 138! 138! That's more than I could have ever asked for or even imagined! Thank you sooooo much! This wouldn't be possible without you guys! I love you all! Thank you so much! :D

So... without further babbling... I give you the long awaited: CHAPTER 19! :D It's nice and long! :D

Have a frabjous day! Enjoy! :D

* * *

Chapter 19: Audition Day

**Emerald Coast High School Theater**

"Alright, everybody! Thanks for coming out! Just because you are here, we will make sure you have some role in this musical; whether it is a lead role, in the ensemble or stage crew, you will be a part of this production!" Colette cheered, standing next to a black and white husky wearing a light blue button down shirt unbuttoned about half way down to show off his chest fur with kaki Bermuda shorts and a matching sky blue ascot. "My name is Ms. Peterson, but you all can call me Colette. This is Mr. Morrison; he is the drama teacher here at ECHS. We will both be judges of your auditions and the directors of this play. There's another judge that's _supposed_ to be here…" Colette remarked, tapping her foot in impatience as she glanced at her watch. _Oh my god… where is he? _She silently panicked.

Suddenly, the double doors slammed open, revealing a dark brown hedgehog wearing a black fedora, a black vest with a white tie and black high top converses sprinted in, jumping onto the stage to join Colette and Mr. Morrison. He had heavy side sweeping bangs, his quills dyed white at the tips, showing off a punk rock look. "Sorry I'm late, hun!" the hedgehog apologized, hugging Colette, giving her a kiss on the cheek as she rolled her eyes playfully.

"Well, at least you made it here in one piece; you have both of your shoes on this time, and your hat's straight! Wow… I'm impressed." Colette laughed, taking his hand as she turned to the students sitting in the audience. "Guys, this is Mr. Tyler. He's the chorus teacher at Mystic Ruin High School."

"But my students call me Dylan. Colette and I both think fancy titles are for dumb asses." Dylan laughed as Mr. Morrison glared at his foul language and Colette thumped him on the forehead. "Ow!"

"And he's my idiot boyfriend." She scoffed sarcastically as he rubbed his head.

Stepping forward, Mr. Morrison said, "Colette and Dylan will be judging your musical ability while I judge your skills in the theatrical arts." He explained, "We're really excited to see what you guys have got! You all ready?" he asked the large crowd of students sitting in the seats of the auditorium.

Receiving about 30 nods, Dylan took Colette by the hand towards the judging table as Mr. Morrison commanded, "Alright! Those of you wanting a lead role need to go first, so get with your audition partner and form a line backstage!"

Looking at each other in acknowledgement, Layla held out her hand and asked, "You, ready Shadow?"

"Let's do it." Shadow nodded, taking her hand as they began walking backstage.

"Well somebody seems pretty confident today! You're not even a little bit nervous?" she questioned, as she began to feel a warm moisture between their hands.

"No. I'm not nervous! I'm Shadow the Hedgehog!" he lied as a drop of sweat dribbled off his cheek.

"Oh really, Shadow the Hedgehog? Then why are you sweating like a pig?" she interrogated.

"Okay, fine. I'll admit it! I'm terrified…" Shadow confessed, gripping Layla's hand tighter.

"Oh Shadow… don't worry! You'll do amazing! Just like we rehearsed!" she reminded him, looking up into his amber eyes as she stroked is cheek lovingly. "And remember, I'll be right next to you the entire time; we won't be leaving each other's arms." Layla promised.

Pulling Layla against his chest, he felt a sense of serenity; he could perform as long as he was with her.

**Meanwhile with Sonic and the gang in the audience…**

"Man… there sure are a lot of people auditioning." Amy realized, scrutinizing the crowd of students standing on stage as she sat with Sonic, Rouge, Knuckles, Silver, and Blaze in the back of the auditorium. "Where is everybody? It's understandable that Layla, Tails and Mina are gone, but what about Cream and Shadow?" she wondered.

"Well, Cream said that she was going to help Mina and Tails, but Shadow didn't say a word before leaving." Sonic informed the group, "You know, you would think he would show up to support his own girlfriend!"

"Maybe he had football? Quarter-backs need a lot of extra practice." Silver suggested.

"I don't know, we had practice almost every day this week, but they wanted to give us Friday off. Maybe you're right though." Sonic agreed as Colette walked out onto the stage. "Anyone have any idea who Layla's audition partner is? Last time I checked, she didn't have one."

"And now, performing "As Long As You're Mine" is Scourge and Fiona." She announced, jumping off of the stage and into her sea at the judges table.

_*Listen to "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

As the song progressed, Scourge and Fiona got lower and lower onto the floor as he pulled her on top of his chest. Eventually, Fiona was lying on top of him, making out with Scourge as if no one was looking; they just layed out on stage a vigorously made out to a disturbing extent.

"Alright, that's enough! You can stop making out now! That was extremely disturbing… some things you just can't un-see!" Dylan cried, rubbing his eyes , trying to erase the image from his mind.

"If you two make it in, you _won't _kiss like that, okay? Even the _Broadway _Elpahba and Fiyero don't make out _that _hard!" Colette realized, hiding behind Dylan, covering her fedora over her face.

"Oh god! Get those awful pictures out of my eyes! You two sounded great, but EW! Don't EVER make out like that again! It looked like someone was about to lose their clothes!" Mr. Morrison yelled, "You two will definitely make the show, but if we catch you doing that again, we'll write you up for PDA! Do you understand?"

Rolling his eyes in annoyance, Scourge nodded, tapping his foot in impatience as Fiona replied, "As long as you have a dressing room door with our names on it, you've got yourself a deal."

"Fine, but it will be two _separate _dressing rooms!" Mr. Morrison clarified, "Next!" he yelled as Colette got up to go find Layla and Shadow backstage.

"Alright guys, you ready?" Colette asked, approaching the couple.

"Sure! Shadow?" Layla questioned, turning to Shadow.

"Let's go." He agreed, gripping her hand tighter. Holding hands, the two walked out on stage. Looking into the audience, Layla smiled and waved to see Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Rouge, Silver, and Blaze sitting and watching, but they all sat gaping at her; she had no idea why.

"SHADOW IS HER AUDITION PARTNER?" Sonic gasped, completely shocked.

"Well… Layla did say she found a partner… but she didn't say who. I assumed it was Danny, being that he was he only other guy we know who sings, but I guess there's one more!" Blaze pointed out.

"Can he sing?" Silver asked, being that Shadow had never sung in Chorus before.

"Well, I've known Shadow for years, and I could barely get him to say hi to me. That is, until he met Layla!" Rouge informed them, feeling happy for Shadow. "I think we should just wait and see."

**Meanwhile with Scourge and Fiona…**

"Nic! Nack! Front and center!" Scourge commanded as Nic and Nack zipped toward him, saluting to him, ready for action.

"Yeah, boss?" Nic asked.

"Go get Eggman and tell him Layla is performing, but make sure you mention that she's auditioning with Shadow, her boyfriend." Scourge plotted.

"What good will that do?" Nack questioned in annoyance.

"You'll see." Scourge maniacally laughed.

Running out of the theater, the weasels dashed across the hall towards Dr. Eggman's office. Without knocking, they opened the door to find Eggman sitting at his desk, filling out paper work and signing important documents. "Nack! Nic! What a pleasant surprise." He said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "What do you want?"

"Are you aware that Layla is doing her audition for Wicked right now?" Nack asked, pointing across the hallway.

"Yes, but I already told her that I didn't have time to come see her perform, and she was perfectly fine with that." Eggman informed them.

"Well, do you know that she's auditioning with her boyfriend?" Nic grinned, ready for some anger.

"BOYFRIEND! NO DAUGHTER OF MINE HAS A BOYFRIEND ON MY WATCH!" he screamed, throwing his pen on the floor and slamming his fist on his desk. "Who is the idiot who is going out with her?"

"Why don't you see for yourself, sir?" Nack suggested, holding open the door for Eggman.

"Gladly." He hissed through his teeth, trudging across the hall with the weasels.

"And now, performing "As Long As You're Mine", please give a warm welcome to Layla and Shadow!" Colette announced, skipping back to her chair at the judges table.

"Remember, don't be afraid to sing out. Imagine that it's just you and me, sitting my balcony playing the piano and singing alone. Don't be afraid; when in doubt, sing out." Layla whispered through her big smile towards the audience. "No matter what happens, I love you. Now let's show em' what we've got!"

"I love you too. Let's get it over and done…" Shadow replied, giving a corny fake smile to the crowd.

"Wow, first Layla got him up on stage, and now she got him to smile? Dang… he really does care for her. She can get him to do anything!" Knuckles laughed as Rouge gave him an evil grin. "Don't get any ideas Rouge!" he joked.

Suddenly, a loud bang shook the theater as everyone turned to see Eggman slamming the door shut, shortly followed by Nic and Nack, grinning evily as they waited for the audition to begin.

At sight of the three, Colette gasped, knowing that this was an evil plot on Scourge's part. _Oh fudge muffins! Eggman! He's going to find out that Layla and Shadow are going out! I'm going to have to help them out! _Colette thought, sitting up in her judge's chair with a nervous expression on her face.

"You okay there Co?" Dylan asked worriedly, putting his arm around her shoulder in comfort.

"Yeah… just kind of nervous. I really want her to do good." Colette told him. "I just feel so bad for them…"

"Why?" Dylan asked, "I know Layla too, she's awesome! Look how happy she is with Shadow! I've never seen her so happy."

"But that's it! That's why I'm nervous. Did you see who just walked in?" Colette pointed out.

"Yeah, but what's the big deal? Eggman loves watching her perform." He remembered.

"Yeah, but not when she's gonna be openly making out with her boyfriend. Eggman is extremely over-protective; he won't let her go out with any guys. He has no idea that she's with Shadow."

"Crap… what are we gonna do?" Dylan questioned.

"Hmm… I'll think of something; you know how good I am at improvisation." Colette smiled.

Rolling his eyes playfully, Dylan replied, "Yeah, the last time I let you improvise, the entire school was covered in pickle juice!"

"Well filling the fireworks cannon with dill pickles seemed like a good idea at the time…" Colette trailed off, twiddling her thumbs as Dylan laughed at her.

"Yeah- until we both got detention for a month!" Dylan thought back.

"You lit the fuse, not me! Just saying…" Colette laughed as the lights began to dim. "It's starting, let's watch."

Standing in the back of the auditorium, Eggman glared at the couple furiously. _Oh Layla… you are SO DEAD! _He thought as the music began playing.

_*Listen to "As Long As You're Mine" from Wicked on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

Suddenly, in the darkness, a single spotlight appeared over Shadow and Layla who were kneeling facing each other, holding each other's arms as Layla began to sing a free "Ooo".

As the song progressed, Shadow stroked Layla's cheek as he listened to her sing, slowly beginning to stand up as he patiently waiting for his part. Noticing Shadow's shaky nervous hand, Layla grabbed it, lovingly looking into his eyes in encouragement as she sang, "As long as you're mine…" cueing Shadow.

_Okay… here goes nothing…_ he thought, hugging Layla as he took one final breathe before his verse. Nervously he sang, "Maybe I'm brainless, maybe I'm wise…" Looking around the audience, he noticed Sonic and the gang smiling at him with shocked expressions on their faces. Below them, Colette sat looking like she was going to jump out of her seat in happiness, and nervously, he turned back to Layla. She smiled at him with tears of pride and joy stinging in her eyes as she gave Shadow a kiss on the cheek, hugging his arm as she held his other hand.

_Hey… this isn't that bad. _He realized, singing louder, closing his eyes to let the music freely flow as Layla held onto him in assurance that she was still there. In an impressive crescendo, Shadow ended his verse, holding Layla's arms in support as the both stood up, joining each other for the chorus.

Belting out the chorus at their top game, they both harmonized, looking into each other's eyes, occasionally hugging until Shadow ended the singing with his dialogue, "What is it?" he asked as Layla gave him a worried expression. Shadow kissed her on the cheek as he took her hand, waiting for her line.

"It's just… for the first time… I feel… Wicked." She whispered, jumping into Shadow's waiting arms for a passionate kiss. At that moment, everyone in the theater stood up, erupting in applause, whistles and screams by their performance. Everyone- people auditioning, tech crew, the judges, and even spectators in the audience- gave Layla and Shadow a standing ovation for their amazing performance.

"Wow… that was incredible!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Yeah, who knew Shadow could sing! I've never heard him even hum before, let alone sing!" Sonic shouted in shock, still completely surprised by Shadow's hidden talent.

"Layla was amazing too! If they don't get the lead role, there's something wrong with these judges! I would fight to say that they were better than the original Elphaba and Fiyero!" Amy thought out loud.

"Layla! That was amazing! That was your best performance ever! And Shadow- who knew you could sing like that! That was FANTASTIC!" Colette squealed.

"You two, all I have to say is this: Wow. That was amazing. The vocals were obviously there, but what stuck out to me the most was your passion. Shadow, you looked a little bit nervous up there when Layla was singing. Is this your first time performing?" Mr. Morrison asked.

"This is actually my first time singing for anyone other than Layla." He answered.

"Are you serious? Whoa… it sure didn't sound it like it! You two are naturals! What I thought was great was when Shadow looked like he was about to pass out, Layla grabbed his hand. That was awesome; still staying in character, but still comforting, and it really shows us that you have true love for each other." Mr. Morrison finished as Shadow kissed Layla on the forehead.

"You guys can count on having some kind of lead role." Dylan informed them, "The thing I liked the most was that their making out didn't make me want to pass out!" he joked, getting evil glares from Scourge and Fiona who were waiting for Shadow and Layla backstage.

"Alright, who's next!" Colette asked as Shadow and Layla ran backstage holding hands.

Running into an empty corner of the backstage area, they both just stood and smiled at each other, when suddenly, they both started laughing. Giggling in girlish delight, Layla jumped into Shadow's arms as he swung her around in happiness, both of them with a soft red glow in their hands.

"Shadow! You were amazing! I'm so proud of you!" Layla cried, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Thanks! You were fantastic out there! I can't believe it, we did it!" Shadow exclaimed as Layla gave him a quick kiss on the lips.

"Nice work, witch freak and emo kid." Scourge laughed, interrupting their celebration.

"What do you want Scourge?" Layla interrogated.

"We just wanted to tell you that you have a visitor." Fiona glared as a tall shadowy figure emerged from behind the curtains.

"LAYLA MARIA HEDGEHOG!" Eggman yelled, stomping towards the couple furiously. "I TOLD YOU TO STAY AWAY FROM HIM!"

"Your middle name's Maria?" Shadow whispered through his teeth.

"Yeah, Dr. Gerald made that my full name. Ugly, right?" Layla asked.

"No! I happen to think that's beautiful. I actually have always really loved the name Maria." Shadow informed her as Eggman approached, signaling to shut up.

"HOW DARE YOU HAVE A BOYFRIEND! YOU KNOW YOU ARE NOT ALLOWED TO!" Eggman shouted.

"Uh… Doc- uh, I mean, Dad, I can explain!" Layla stuttered, jumping away from Shadow.

"Great! I'd love to hear it! Why were your lips all over his face?" Eggman interrogated, glaring at Shadow.

"HEY, MY LIPS WERE NOT- crap… you saw that?" Layla asked nervously.

"Yeah: BUSTED! You're grounded for life young lady!" the doctor yelled, grabbing Layla by the arm. "And _you! _The dirty boy who thought he could get away with making out with my daughter! You're coming with me to my office!" he instructed as Shadow backed away nervously.

"What?" Shadow gasped.

"Bark, will you and Nack "escort" Shadow to my office?" Eggman asked.

"Yes, Dr. Eggman, sir." They both replied robotically, each grabbing one of Shadow's arms.

"No! Shadow!" Layla cried.

"Layla!" Shadow screamed as they both reached for each other's hands, missing by inches as they pulled them apart. Shadow grunted, trying to break free as Layla shrieked, tears streaming down her cheeks; their short-lived happiness was over.

At sound of the screams, Colette ran backstage, hiding behind a curtain watching until a plan hatched in her mind. Stepping out from the curtain, Colette ran to the group, getting in the middle of the feud, waving her arms to get everyone's attention.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaand SCENE!" Colette cried as everyone gave her blank stares of confusion. "Very good guys! Great acting!"

"Ms. Peterson, what are you talking about?" Eggman asked.

"Dr. Eggman, I think you've got it all wrong. Layla and Shadow aren't going out; this was part of the audition! They were just acting, and they passed with awesome flying magic colors!" Colette lied, winking at Layla. Still quite confused, Nack, Nick and Eggman relaxed their grip naturally, focusing on Colette as Layla and Shadow squirmed out. "You see Doctor, great actors not only need to prove their skills on stage, but they also need to be able to apply it to the real world. What you just saw there was an almost professional display of love. I decided to add in a second part of the audition, and it involved _you_ needing to get angry over seeing Layla with her "boyfriend" so that they could show off their stuff. Great scene guys! You can definitely expect some kind of lead role!" Colette fibbed believably as a smile formed on Eggman's face.

"Excellent work Colette!" Eggman cried, "You're going above and beyond our standards! This reminds me of when you were a student here with Dylan."

"Let's not go there so you don't re-think anything…" Colette stopped, not wanting Eggman to remember all of her senior pranks.

"I'm sorry I doubted you Layla. I think your friends were waiting for you in the audience if you want to go visit." Eggman said.

"Thanks Dad!" Layla cheered, leaving the scene without Shadow; still pretending she had nothing to do with him.

Attempting to follow Layla, Shadow tagged along, when suddenly, Eggman stepped into his path, blocking him from her. "Not so fast hedgehog!" he warned, getting in his face, "I'm watching you! Stay away from her!" he glared as he let Shadow continued walking, completely ignoring him. Sighing, Eggman walked back to his office, relieved that Layla "didn't really have a boyfriend."

**Meanwhile with Sonic and the gang…**

"What's going on back there?" Knuckles asked as they listened to the screaming.

"No! Shadow!" They heard from the distance, making all of them gasp.

"Layla and Shadow are in trouble! We have to help!" Amy cried, standing up as Sonic quickly pulled her down.

"I think this time we need to stay out of this. Us stepping in may make it worse." Sonic pointed out as Colette sprinted backstage. "Look, Colette's going to take care of it."

After a few minutes, Layla walked off stage, jumping down and running to the group with a huge smile on her face. "Hiya guys! What you think?" she asked as if nothing was wrong.

"What happened back there?" Blaze questioned, confused by Layla's happiness.

"Oh that? Scourge and Fiona got Eggman to come see our audition to bust me for going out with Shadow, but it's all good now because Colette tricked Eggman that our making out backstage was part of the audition." She explained as Shadow approached the group.

"Okay then… anyway… YOU GUYS WERE FANTASTIC!" Amy cheered, hugging Layla.

"Aww, thanks Amy!" Layla blushed.

"We all knew you'd do great Layla, but we were pretty shocked to see that you got Mr. Grumpy Gills here to audition with you!" Sonic laughed as Shadow gave him mean glares.

"Yeah, Shadow! We had no idea you could sing like that!" Knuckles smiled.

"LAYLA LAYLA LAYLA LAYLA!" A hyper voice called, getting closer and closer until it was being screamed into her ear.

"Hiya Mina! Have you gone yet?" Layla asked as Mina sighed.

"No… but that's what I came to ask you about!" she informed her, "Can I ask a favor?"

"Sure!" Layla replied happily.

Giggling in happiness, Mina explained, "Alrighty, so for my audition, I am singing "Popular", and I'm fine with the singing part, but I'm missing something pretty major for the acting part. Galinda and Elphaba are both in this scene, and-"

"Do you want me to be Elphaba in your audition?" Layla asked, cutting to the chase.

"Would you?" Mina questioned gratefully.

"Of course!" she responded.

"YAY! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!" Mina giggled, "C'mon, we're next!" she informed her suddenly, taking her hand and dashing at supersonic speed onto the stage.

"What? Next?" Layla panicked, but it was already too late; Colette got up to the microphone to announce them.

"And now, we have Mina Mongoose, with assistance from Layla the Hedgehog, singing "Popular"." She announced as they both took seats in two chairs placed for them on stage.

_*Listen to "Popular" from Wicked on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

"Elphie," Mina began, "Now that we're BFF's, I've decided to make you my new project." She acted.

"Uh… Galinda, you _really _don't have to do that." She hesitated, beginning to get up until Mina grabbed her arm to pull her back down.

"I know… but that's what makes me so super-duper nice!" Mina replied, standing up and walking behind Layla, playing with her hair as she began to sing the first verse. As she sang, she skipped across the stage, dancing and spazzing out in a bubbly ditsy matter, making the audience laugh due to her hyperness, totally capturing the character of Galinda.

Nervously watching from behind the curtain backstage, Tails smiled, wanting to scream 'GO MINA!' _C'mon Mina! You've got this! _He thought to himself, peering around the red velvet curtain as students busily walked around backstage behind him, building sets and props.

As the music slowly hushed, Mina remembered that she needed two vital props for this point in the song: a hair bow and a hand mirror. Improvising, Mina took Layla's hair out of its usual ponytail as she pulled her black headband off of her head, putting it in Layla's hair, placing it in the perfect position. _Oh crap! I don't have a mirror! It's even in the script… It's vital to the song! _She panicked, looking around for a makeshift mirror.

_Oh no! Mina forgot the hand mirror! We just rehearsed it like 5 minutes ago with the mirror, so she must have put it down somewhere nearby…_ He realized, having seen Mina run through her audition many times with the mirror. Looking around franticly, he scanned the backstage area to find the mirror lying on a table behind him. Grabbing it, he flew through the curtain on stage, when suddenly, he froze, realizing that he could ruin her audition. _Oh no… I have to act like I'm a part of the audition! I can't act like Mina, but I'll give my all for her!_

"Oh no! Where is my hand mirror? Did I leave it with Fiyero?" Mina panicked, trying her best to stay in character, hoping to get one of the stage manager's attention.

Answering her prayer, Tails stepped out on stage, "Knock, knock!" he yelled, doing an amazing Boq impression that Mina automatically recognized.

"Come in!" Mina said, turning to see that the voice belonged to Tails, answering her prayer with the hand mirror.

"Miss Galinda!" Tails cried, running to Mina's side in a creepy way.

"Oh, h-hello Biq…" she said, her smile quickly turning to a disgusted frown.

**(Important A/N: In this scene, Mina is acting as Glinda/Galinda, Tails is acting as Boq, and Layla is acting as Elphaba. Quick thing you should know if you haven't seen "Wicked: The Musical". Boq is in desperately in love with Glinda, but Glinda is in love with this guy named Fiyero, so Boq follows her around like a lost puppy and she is willing to do anything to get rid of him. She also calls him "Biq" because she is always getting his name wrong. Don't worry; I'll give a synopsis of Wicked's storyline before the big performance scene so you all don't get confused. If this is really confusing for you, I apologize…) **

"I-It's 'Boq'" he corrected, "Anyway, you left your hand mirror at the Oz Dust Ballroom. I found it just as you left after you helped Elphaba. You're so good!" Tails exclaimed, handing her the mirror.

"Oh stop it…" Mina blushed, smiling playfully at Tails' compliment, "Thank you Biq."

"It's- *sigh*, you're welcome Miss Galinda." Tails sighed, stopping and turning around, "Oh! Miss Galinda? Will you promise to save me a dance next time?" he asked.

"Bye Biq!" Mina interrupted, shutting the invisible door between her and Tails, winking at him thankfully for having her back.

Sighing as though she was rudely interrupted from what she had previously been doing, Mina tended back to Layla, fixing her headband and tucking the hair hanging over her left eye behind her ear, completely opening up her face, showing off her gorgeous violet eyes.

"Wow…" Shadow whispered in the audience, completely in awe of her beauty that hid underneath her hair. He had never seen her left eye ever since they met. _She so beautiful… _he thought, loving the sight of her entire face.

"Elphie… just look at you! You're beautiful!" Mina cried, handing her the hand mirror to take a look at herself.

Layla's slight smile turned into a frown as she looked at herself, "I have to go," she mumbled, running offstage back to the gang in the audience.

"You're welcome…" Mina said to the audience as though she was just snubbed. Finishing her last verse, she crescendoed her last phrase, holding out her last note with great force, ending the audition with a bang as the audience jumped to their feet in standing ovation.

"That was awesome Mina! Dang… you're improv was pretty impressive! That was pretty damn amazing!" Dylan exclaimed, jumping to his feet, pumping his fist in the air as Mina blushed.

"Mina, that was fantastic! I don't know what you were talking about when you said that you didn't have an audition partner, because that whole thing with Tails looked like it was all a part of the performance! Plus, the vocals were fantastic!" Colette complimented.

"A person like you is who we need in this production, Mina." Mr. Morrison informed her, "Because not only do you have the vocals, not only do you have the acting, but when something goes wrong, you use your knowledge and love for the show to fix it! Amazing work! You will have a lead, I can guarantee that!"

"Thank you guys!" Mina squealed, running offstage to Tails, waiting with open arms for a celebratory hug. Overjoyed by their reactions, Mina jumped into his arms, wrapping her hands around his neck in a hug as Tails flew them around the backstage in celebration. Out of nowhere and without thinking, Mina closed her eyes and leaned in, giving Tails a quick kiss on the lips. Nervously, Mina opened her eyes to see his reaction: a very shocked expression.

"Sorry… I don't know what happened… I got too excited… I'll just g-"

"Don't be sorry!" Tails insisted, smiling as he pulled Mina in for another kiss, this time longer and more passionate. "I think I love you, Mina."

"Oh, I love you too Tails!" Mina cried, hugging him tighter.

"I was actually kinda wondering if you wanted to go get some pizza later?"

"Of course I would!" Mina giggled, giving him a hug as he lowered themselves back to the floor.

"I've gotta go to the sound booth," Tails said, "Tell the others I said hi!"

"Ok, I guess I'll see you later then. If you need any stage managing help, just come get me!" Mina offered, running towards the gang.

**Back with Sonic and the gang…**

"Mina! You were awesome!" Sonic cheered, giving her his signature wink and thumbs up.

"Yeah, that was crazy insanely amazing!" Silver added, giving her a high five.

"Thanks guys!" Mina said as she looked around for the person she wanted to see most, "Where's Cream?"

"We have no idea… we assumed she was with you because that's what she told us earlier." Amy informed her.

"Well, she was with us until I went to audition, but I haven't seen her since then." Mina realized, looking around the auditorium for her friend.

"Well, wherever she is, she'll be fine. Cream may not seem like it, but she can take care of herself if she needs to." Sonic told the gang as they nodded in agreement.

Grabbing a large piece of hair from behind her ear, Layla took out the head band, covering her eye once again with her bangs.

"What are you doing?" Shadow asked, wondering why she was pulling her hair back up in a bow like always.

"Fixing my hair; it looks awful like this." She confirmed.

"Don't; you look beautiful with it down, love." He admitted, grabbing her hand to stop it from pulling into a ponytail.

"Really? Thanks Shadow! Guess I'll leave it down then…" she agreed, taking her hair down, but still leaving the large piece in front of her left eye.

"Here, let me fix it," Shadow volunteered as Layla handed him her purple bow. Taking the large portion of hair covering her eye, he pinned it to the side, revealing the beautiful violet eyes he longed to wander into. "There, Elphaba; look at you… you're beautiful!" Shadow quoted as Mina handed him the hand mirror that he quickly passed to Layla.

"Oh my gosh…" Blaze gasped, realizing the true beauty that hid underneath. "Shadow got Layla to pull her hair back!" she whispered to the rest of the gang.

"She looks so pretty like that! It totally opens up her face!" Amy pointed out.

As the gang whispered amongst themselves, Layla stared at herself, having an Elphaba moment as Shadow ran his fingers through her long wavy hair.

Suddenly, the theater doors slammed open as a muscular bulldog came racing in, almost out of breathe from running all over the school. "Shadow! Sonic! I finally found you two!" Coach Richardson panted.

"What's up Coach?" Sonic asked.

"Well, since our first game is next Friday, we wanted to round up as many players as we could for practice, but since you're QB and Wide Receiver, we _had _to find you two. And we figured since you two are best buds *Sonic and Shadow both roll their eyes*that you two would be in the same place." He explained.

"When's practice?" Shadow asked, crossing his arms in frustration for ruining a beautiful moment.

"5 minutes." He responded, walking out the door to round up more players on a Friday night. "Oh! And Coach Watson wants to see the cheerleaders for practice too!"

"What about pep squad? We still have no idea what we have to do…" Silver questioned.

"What, Trunk Punks? You guys have practice too, but it's about learning the right cheers; no physical effort involved. You guys will find out what to do the day of the game." Coach laughed, finally closing the door, exiting the theater.

"Trunk Punks?" Knuckles wondered aloud.

"You guys are lucky. Last year they were nicknamed the "Trunk Drunks"." Layla remembered.

"Alright then… well, I guess we have to practice." Rouge groaned.

"Wait, what about Danny? He's in pep squad too." Silver realized, still wondering why he wasn't with Scourge and Fiona.

"Same with Tails." Sonic said, "Silver, Knuckles: just tell Coach that Tails is helping out with Wicked auditions. It looks like he's got his hands full with lights and music." He told them, waving to Tails in the sound booth in the back window of the auditorium.

Waving back excitedly, Tails smiled, talking into a headset to someone backstage as he dimmed the lights and restarted the music. When his friends turned around facing the stage, away from the sound booth, Tails took off the headset. "How are you doing over there, Cream?" he asked the tan rabbit curled up under the table behind him.

"It's just a little stuffy in here, but I'm holding up just fine. When is Danny coming?" she asked out of curiosity, ready to come out of hiding.

"He should be coming any minute. Coach Richardson just walked in, so it shouldn't be much longer." Tails informed her.

"Awesome! Thank you so much for doing this Tails! I know if Sonic saw me with Danny, he'd flip." Cream thought.

"Are you coming Layla?" Shadow asked, holding the door open for her after most of the gang had already left for the football field.

"As intriguing as it would be to watch a bunch of hot sweaty guys tackle each other over a ball in 90 degree weather, I think I'll pass. Plus, Mina, Blaze and I planned on staying for the rest of the auditions." Layla informed him, running and giving him a parting hug.

"Well, what if it was your hot sweaty boyfriend tackling guys over a ball in 90 degree weather?" he questioned jokingly, wanting her to come along.

Giggling, she kissed him on the cheek and replied, "Bye Shadow," lightly pushing him through the door as it slammed shut behind him. Cracking the door open about an inch, she said, "I love you!", shutting the door once again.

"I love you too, Layla the Hedgehog." He mumbled under his breath as the door closed.

With her ear up against the door, Layla listened carefully as Shadow's footsteps faded away. "Yes! The plan worked!" Layla cried, high fiving Mina as they happy danced around Blaze, who was standing with a puzzled expression on her face.

"I can't believe it! We pulled it off!" Mina squealed, giggling with Layla and giving a thumbs up to Tails in the sound booth.

"Plan? What plan?" Blaze asked, "What did you two do…?"

"Alright, so this is what happened…" Layla began.

**Meanwhile with Danny… **

"Thanks again for planning that fake practice to get Sonic and the others out of the theater, Coach Richardson!" Danny exclaimed, high fiving the coach in victory.

"No problem, boy! Now you and your girlfriend can audition without your friends knowing. Plus, what day isn't a good day for practice?" he questioned.

"Wait… you scheduled a _real _practice? I thought this was all just a trick!" he thought, scratching his head.

"Well, why not just schedule a real one? Our first game is in a week!" he told him, Danny nodding in agreement.

"True… oh dangit! I guess this means I'll be late for pep squad practice! Can you-"

"No need! The pep squad practice really was fake! It's school tradition that the pep squad doesn't practice or do anything until the day of the game." Coach explained, laughing at Danny.

"So… we're basically going to go to the game all painted and stuff not knowing what we're supposed to do…?" Danny questioned.

"Yup! Pretty much!" he laughed.

"That's really cute Coach… real' mature…" Danny joked.

"Who's next?" the guys heard Colette call from inside the theater.

"Go, boy. Go get that cute rabbit of yours and knock the socks off those judges!" Coach Richardson motioned, pushing Danny into the auditorium.

"Thanks a lot Coach. It really meant a lot that you helped me. High-five!" he said, slapping hands with Coach Richardson.

"No problem, kid. Now get in there, get your girl, get on stage, and get the part!" he encouraged him as Danny ran off toward the sound booth.

**Back with Layla, Mina, and Blaze…**

"Oh! I get it! So, Cream and Danny are secretly dating, but Sonic and Scourge don't approve of them seeing each other, so they have to meet when no one's looking." Blaze realized, having one of the biggest epiphanies of her life. "Then they decided that they wanted to audition for Wicked, but they knew that Scourge and Sonic would be there watching, and wouldn't let them do it together, so they needed a way to make them leave, so Danny talked to Coach Richardson about scheduling fake practice!"

"Well… actually, _we _planned for it to be a fake practice, but then _Coach Richardson _decided to make it a _real _practice. Poor Shadow… he didn't do anything to deserve running suicides all afternoon." Layla pointed out, "Well, he is the –or _one _of the- Ultimate Lifeforms. He'll be fine." Layla thought out loud.

"There goes Danny now." Mina pointed to the bunny headed into the sound booth.

Sneaking up to the sound booth, Danny opened the door nervously, hoping and praying that the only two people in there would be Tails and Cream.

"Hey Danny! Alright Cream, you can come out now." Tails signaled, waving Cream out of underneath the table.

"Danny!" Cream squealed in girlish happiness.

"Cream!" Danny cried, taking Cream's hand, pulling her up into his waiting arms as their lips met for a quick kiss on the lips. "You ready to do this, darnlin?"

"Let's do it!" Cream exclaimed enthusiastically.

Hugging Cream, Danny turned to Tails. "Thanks Tails. I owe you big."

"No problem." Tails winked, giving him a thumbs up, "I know Sonic may not trust you for what he thinks you did to Amy, but whenever you want to see Cream without being caught, just leave it to me!"

"Thanks man, that really means a lot when it feels like everyone's against you except the people you wish would hate you." Danny sighed.

"Well, you've got us!" Tails assured him.

"And you've got me." Cream smiled.

"What?" Tails asked into the microphone on the headset, "Ok, I'll send them backstage." Turning to the happy couple, Tails said, "Colette says that you two are up next. You two better hit the stage."

"Alright. Thanks Tails." Cream said as they headed towards the door.

"Wait!" Danny stopped, "What about Scourge and Fiona?"

"Oh, don't worry. Colette and I got them covered." Tails reassured them.

"What did you do…?" Cream asked nervously.

**Following Scourge and Fiona's audition…**

"Scourge! Fiona!" Colette called from backstage as the two came trudging in response.

"What do you want, hat hair?" Scourge questioned in annoyance.

"I need you to do something for me." She said, "And if you don't do it I'll give you detention." Colette said quickly, interrupting the couple's quick protests.

"Fine. What is it?" Fiona asked.

"I need you to take this note to Ms. Benson, the orchestra director." Colette instructed, "And DO NOT read it!" she commanded, snatching the note away from Scourge after his attempt to open the envelope and handing it to Fiona. "If I get word from Ms. Benson that the note was unsealed before it got to her, _neither _of you will be in this production! Do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah." Scourge said, taking Fiona's hand and strutting offstage and out of the theater.

"Let's just listen to her this time. I don't want to get kicked off this show! I want that fairytale ending at MCM. You know… the one that ends with you and me becoming Broadway stars." Fiona flirted, touching his nose and looking into his eyes.

"Fine. I'll do it for us, babe. Besides, we've got this audition in the bag! There's no way those two losers actually got a lead role." Scourge scoffed as they walked into the orchestra room.

"Hi there, what can I do for you two this afternoon?" the black cat holding a viola asked.

"Colette told us to bring this to you." Fiona informed Ms. Benson, handing her the note.

"Oh, ok." she said, breaking the seal and opening the envelope as her eyes scanned the note.

_Send these students on a wild goose chase! :P Thanks!_

_-Colette 3_

Chuckling a little, Ms. Benson slipped the note back in the envelope. "Hmmm… how about you take this to Mr. Hemmingway, the band director. He might know what to do with this."

"Okay then…" Scourge said, rolling his eyes and snatching the note from her hands rudely as they trudged next door to the band room.

Scrutinizing the note, the bulldog chuckled, "This isn't a problem for a fine arts teacher! Take It to Coach Watson."

"I don't get what Hemmingway expects me to do with this… bring this to Ms. Malinda, the owl clerk in the front office. She'll help you there." Coach Watson instructed.

"Oh… this note was meant to go to Mr. Andrews. Take it there." The purple owl instructed.

"I don't know why Ms. Malinda sent you here, because this note was obviously meant for Ms. Simmons." Mr. Andrews corrected.

**Meanwhile in the theater…**

Standing up on stage, Colette announced, "And now for our next performance, we have Cream the Rabbit and Danny the Bunny singing "As Long As You're Mine"!"

"Are you ready, Danny?" Cream asked, turning to see her boyfriend frozen with wide eyes, "Danny, what's wrong?"

"Just a little nervous…." He mumbled, still frozen.

"Relax, you'll do great. Just remember, I'll be with you the whole time." Cream whispered giving him a kiss on the cheek and taking his hand as the music started playing.

_*Listen to "As Long As You're Mine" on my youtube channel **LaylaHedgie***_

Singing a nervous "oo", Cream quickly got used to being on the stage, getting louder and stepping forward towards the audience as Danny followed, not letting go of her hand. Turning to her love, Cream lifted Danny's chin with her finger, stroking his cheek as hugged his arm.

As the music transitioned, Cream stopped for a short instrumental that lead into Danny's verse.

Due to being so nervous, Danny started about half a beat late. Panicking, he sped up, going too fast and straying off-beat. Nervously, he turning to Cream who quietly sang next to him, help him get back on track as she ran her fingers through his long, brown shaggy hair, calming him down.

_Hey… this is just like that day back in the chorus room when I sang for the first time… this is fun! _He thought, transforming his voice back into that Adam Lambert-ish free tone, instantly winning over the audience with his sudden change.

Simultaneously, Cream and Danny put their hands on each other's shoulders for the final chorus, slowly beginning to kneel on the ground next to each other.

Looking into each other's eyes, Cream took Danny's hand as they both rose back up, holding the final note. Suddenly, Cream turned away, her smile quickly turning to a worried expression.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly, putting his arms on her shoulders.

"It's just… for the first time… I feel… Wicked." Cream said, smirking evilly as Danny picked her up and spun her around in the air as their lips met for a passionate kiss.

As they broke apart, the audience flew out of their chairs, clapping and whistling in standing ovation for their outstanding performance.

"Fantastic job guys! Now I just have one question: are you sure you want to go for Boq and Nessarose? You two could definitely get a better role than that." Dylan suggested.

"Thanks but no thanks, Dylan. You see, we're in a situation with our relationship." Danny informed them.

"I'm friends with the Sonic gang." Cream told them.

"And I'm buds with Scourge and Fiona." He added, "And our groups are pretty much arch enemies. Since we're from two opposing sides, the leaders of our groups –Sonic and Scourge- have banned us from seeing each other. So, we wanted to audition together, but we couldn't let our friends see… well at least the ones who are against our love." Danny explained.

"Tails, Layla, Mina, and Colette helped us pull off our audition today." Cream added, smiling at Layla and Mina in the audience. "They got rid of our friends so that we could audition without them seeing."

"But what happens with the actual performance? What will you do if you two get roles that have romance with each other?" Mr. Morrison asked.

"Well, that's why we had hopes in playing Boq and Nessarose." Cream answered nicely.

**(A/N: Again, here is a little summary about them: Boq is in love with Galinda/Glinda (same person; Glinda changes her name from Galinda to Glinda during the story), but Glinda is in love with Fiyero. Nessarose is Elphaba's (the wicked witch of the west) sister who is in a wheelchair. When Boq is about to ask Glinda to the dance, Glinda tells Boq that he's be her hero if she would ask Nessarose instead because she feels so bad that she never has any fun because she's in a wheelchair. Boq does, and Nessarose falls madly in love with him. He doesn't have the same feelings back, but he doesn't have the guts to tell her that he loves Glinda. And that's all you've missed on glee! :P) **

Danny expressed, "Boq and Nessarose do have some romantic moments, but in the long run, their love is purely one-sided. With those two roles, you really don't have to be in a relationship to make the love look true because it really isn't. You could take two random people that have never met before, tell them to play Boq and Nessarose and they could pull it off; no chemistry needed!"

"But, for those one or two "aww" moments with them; that's what we would love to bring out." Cream giggled, smiling at Danny. "Sonic and Scourge will think that we were casted as Boq and Nessarose by coincidence."

"Plus they're not really main roles, but they're not background characters, you know? We don't really want main roles, but we don't want to be just a part of the background…. I mean- if that's alright with you sir…. Ma'am… sir…. People…." Danny stuttered.

"Holy crap Danny… you are such a Boq!" Colette giggled, "It's insane! He talk's like him; ya know, with all the stuttering."

"And I don't know about you, but I can totally picture this kid in a yamaka!" Dylan laughed.

"A yamaka?" Danny whispered to Cream.

"And Cream… she's so sweet… so polite… so innocent… so… Nessarose!" Colette processed.

"I mean this in the nicest way possible: I could totally imagine her in a wheelchair!" Mr. Morrison thought.

"You really think so?" Cream asked sweetly.

"Yeah, do you think I'd make that great a Boq?" Danny questioned.

"Of course! You two are definitely in! So far, you two would be our top pick for Boq and Nessarose.

"Thank you so much!" Cream squealed as Danny wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his chest. Hand in hand, the pair skipped offstage towards Blaze, Layla and Mina.

"That was awesome! You guys did great, and the plan worked out perfectly!" Mina exclaimed, hugging Cream.

"Danny, you've sure got one set of vocal chords there. You kinda sound like Justin Beaver, but after his voice deepened –if it ever will…" Layla joked. "But seriously, I mean that in a really good way. You have a perfectly normal deep teenage voice. And Cream… I'm so freaking proud of you!" Layla squealed, attacking Cream with a hug. "I had no idea you could sing like that- I mean, I heard you on the first day of school, but today was incredible!" she complimented her friend, "Danny, Cream, Mina: if you ever want to rehearse, let me know! I'd love to sing with you guys." Layla offered.

"Thanks Layla. Oh, and thanks for being so nice to me. Of all people, you should hate me for what Fiona and Scourge do to you." Danny gratified.

"No problem! Danny, I know you're not like them at all, and it's sad that Sonic and the others don't see that. I'm here for you whenever you need me." Layla smiled.

"Aww, thanks Layla! High five!" he exclaimed, smacking hands with the black hedgehog.

"Hey, are there anymore auditions?" Cream asked.

"I think there's a few more. Wanna stay and watch?" Mina wondered.

"Sure! I mean that's where the guys think we are." Blaze agreed.

"Yeah, and I've got plenty of time to just chill thanks to Colette sending Scourge and Fiona on a wild goose chase. How long do those usually last?" Danny asked Layla and Blaze.

"Four… maybe five hours." Layla estimated.

"Yeah, that sounds about right. Colette used to give em' to kids all the time." Blaze confirmed.

"One time, she sent a kid on one; he didn't come back for 3 days!" Layla remembered.

"Sweet! Why did he get sent on a wild goose chase?" Danny asked.

"Well Blaze here wanted to decorate her dorm as a surprise for Silver's birthday." Layla began. "So… we went to Colette to distract him for _2 hours._"

"Worst decision ever. Colette sent him on a wild goose chase, but this time, she went waaaay too far."

"Somehow, Silver ended in France. No one knows how; not even Silver!" Layla laughed.

"So what happened?" Mina questioned.

"Well, Silver came back. He ended up with a dozen baguettes, a belated birthday party, and a bruised self-esteem." Blaze reminisced.

"And next, Leah the Skunk will be performing "As Long As You're Mine" with Henry the Cat.

"Kiss me too… too… too…." Leah stumbled, forgetting the lyrics.

"MaybeI'mbrainlessmaybeI'mwisebutyou'." Henry sang, faster than even the Cue Player could keep up with. Speeding along to the final chorus, the two were incredibly sharp, singing at least a good half step above key.

"What is it?" Henry asked.

"It's just… for the first time… I feel…. I feel… I feel…." Leah mumbled, missing the line completely.

"WICKED!" Dylan, Colette and Mr. Morrison cried together, wondering how she could have possibly messed up one of the most famous lines in the musical.

"Oh yeah! Ha ha!" she laughed, giggling like a ditsy brainless chick.

"Uh… we'll get back to you guys on that one." Colette mumbled, not wanting to lay the truth on them.

"Next!" Mr. Morrison yelled.

**15 bad and a few genuinely ok auditions later…**

"Alright everybody! That sums up today's auditions! Thanks for coming out! The list of parts will be up tomorrow morning outside the chorus room at 6 for all of you early risers wanting to see your roles!" Colette announced, walking hand and hand with Dylan offstage.

"You guys are all gonna get leads. You were all amazing!" Blaze exclaimed.

"Aww, thanks Blaze! We hope so…" Mina blushed.

"Celebratory Stinky Cheese Pizza anybody?" Layla suggested.

"Sure, but what about the others?" Cream reminded them.

"Eh… that's what they get for being active. They miss out on fun stuff that the lazy people get to do!" Layla joked.

"GO LAZINESS!" Danny cheered dancing out of the theater towards the beach.

**Meanwhile with Scourge and Fiona in some remote location in the school…**

"Scourge… it's been 4 hours and we've gotten nowhere!" Fiona complained, "This is probably a wild goose chase that Colette sends people on!"

"Yeah… probably. Wanna ditch it, head back to the dorm and make out in my room?" he offered.

"Ooo… a hard offer to pass by…" she flirted as he picked her up and dashed at supersonic speed towards their dorm.

"Scourge hun… I've been thinking…." Fiona said.

"What's up, babe?" he asked.

"Well, what if Layla and Shadow get Elphaba and Fiyero? What are we gonna do?" she wondered aloud.

"That's easy. Just get rid of them! Don't worry babe: I've got a plan." He smirked.

* * *

**Uh oh... what plan? Scourge is plotting something big... What parts will the crew get? **

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**Thank you guys so much for your reviews! :D You all get air hugs! :D I read each and every review and love and appreciate every single one! Thanks sooooooo much! You guys are the best readers a girl could possibly dream of having! Love you all! :D**

**Who's going to get what role? Find out on the next Chapter of Hedgehogs, High School and Drama! (which will be posted a lot earlier than this chapter was...) :D**

**Thanks for reading! :D **


	20. The List

Hiya people! :D Sorry again for another long wait! Computer troubles+virtigo+ BFF's emotional break up=not fun! Soo... today's the day! Everyone finds out their parts roles! :D Ok, so I've had this situation _looming_ over me for the past week. 3 words: High School Drama!

So last week, my bestest bestest buddy in the whole entire world was cheated on by her boyfriend. (I'm not going to post their real names on the internet, so I'm just going to use Jack and Jill) The awkwad thing was, Jack is one of my best (BEST) guyfriends. *AWKWARD!* Soo... I was the middle man... girl... whatever... don't judge! :P So, we were walking through the courtyard to lunch, (me and Jill) and that's usually when she goes to see Jack. They meet under a tree in the courtyard everyday before lunch, but that day, he wasn't there. Jill knew that he had a tendancy to be late, (trust me... you're lucky if he drives to school on time!) so she decided to sit under the tree and wait for him while I went and got my lunch. I went to the cafeteria alone where I would join some of my other friends, when suddenly, I saw something I thought only happened on tv; something I didn't think I'd ever see during my high school career: Jack and another girl kissing- no, making out- no, not making out; SUCKING FACE! (uh... let's just say my school is "lemon land"... you could be doing "it" on the floor in the middle of the hallway, and no one would do anything. I know. It's bad.) Just then, Jill approached me, deciding to look for Jack in the cafeteria. Instantly, she saw Jack with another girl and burst into tears. Deciding to take action, (and only making matters worse...) she approached him with the other girl and slapped him across the face, running away sobbing as I followed.

Poor Jill... she did NOT deserve that! I know Jack, (really really well!) and that was something we never ever ever thought he'd do. He's one of the sweetest guys I know!

Here's a secret about some of my OC's: Most of my OC's are based on my best friends. For example, Danny is based on "Jack". (again... not his real name!) Jack is outgoing, sweet, funny, but when it comes to standing up to the boss man, he's shy. Yes, he sings... just like everyone else in my circle of friends... and yes, he has an Adam Lambert style like Danny. Skinny jeans, shaggy hair, red high top converses, you name it, he and Danny have it in common! (other than the fact that Danny's a bunny... and Jack's human...) I've known both Jack and Jill FOREVER!

Jill won't talk to anyone but me, and yesterday, she slept over at my place, and I found cut marks (CUT MARKS! DX) on her arms! This worried me; I flipped out and called a therapist right away. I hang out with Jack after school pretty much everyday. (He's my next-door neighbor. I've known him since we were in diapers; we still hang out like normal days. Everything's cool between us.) Jack admitted that he was dating this girl (let's call her Fiona! I mean, she's a slut, right?) So Jack admitted that he was dating Fiona behind her back. About 2 years ago, Jack and Fiona went out, then broke up right before he realized he loved Jill. As far as Jill and I both knew, he and Fiona broke up a while ago, but apparently, Jack never dumped her, so he had been dating two girls for two years. (Fiona 3 years)

So, I've been talking to Jack about this. He said that he meant to break up with Fiona, but just couldn't; he didn't have the heart. Inside, he _knew _he really loved Jill, but part of him still liked Fiona. (definetley not as much as he loved Jill, though). Jill has gone into major depression, and I miss the happy-go-lucky friend I once had. Jill thinks that Jack never loved her, and that she'll never risk love ever again, but Jack loves her! He's just too ashamed to face her again in fear that she'd never look at him the same way again. He always loved her; he never stopped... and they were _meant _to be together. I don't really care about what kind of situation this puts _me _in, I just want them to be happy again!

Let me tell you, this situation has made me learn a lot! Seeing both sides of the fight have made me realize how when someone's cheating on someone else, it doesn't mean that the love between a couple ever stopped. I mean, I've been in that situation before: catching your boyfriend with another girl, and like any girl would, I just started assuming that he never loved me; I was just another girl, but really, he never stopped loving me. I've never really gotten to see the cheater's side of the story until now, when it was my best friend cheating on my other best friend.

I dedicate this chapter to them. (although I SERIOUSLY doubt they're reading) Hopefully, everything will turn out ok. I mean, our circle of friends would never be the same ever again if Jill and Jack aren't together. They're that couple you see walking down the hall, and you think "That's a couple you'd only see on TV. No relationship could be that great." They're that perfect couple that you'd never think would break up.

Sorry about all that! That's been bothering me for a long time, and I really needed to get it out of my system! I thought since this is a high school drama story, you might want to read about _actual _high school drama. That story was 100% real. That was LEGIT drama... unfortunately. :/

Anyway... alright... it's time... you've been patient... you've waited... here it is... CHAPTER 20! :D Enjoy! Have a frabjous day! :D

* * *

Chapter 20: The List

**Layla's Room**

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP!" Layla's alarm screamed the next morning.

"Ugh…." She groaned, turning over to glance at the clock. _5:45! _She thought excitedly as her eyes shot open _The list will be up in 15 minutes! _Layla remembered, jumping out of bed and running at supersonic speed into the dorm living room, when suddenly: "OW!"

"Sorry Mina!" Layla cried, lying on the floor next to Mina, both rubbing their heads in pain.

"It's all good! It was my fault: I was running so fast that I didn't watch where I was going. I was so excited, I used my mongoose speed to go wake you up, but it looks like you're already awake!" Mina giggled, holding out her hand to help Layla up.

"I was just going to wake Shadow. How about you go wake Cream?" Layla suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Meet in the dorm living room?" Mina asked.

"Yup! Oh! And don't get dressed! It's tradition that we wake up early and go in our pajamas." She informed her, pulling her long brown and red hair into a messy bun.

"Alright! Meet 'cha back here in 5!" Mina said before turning into a blur headed for Cream's dorm as Layla did the same towards the guy's dorms.

Layla cracked open Shadow's door, peeking inside to find him lying flat on his back; one arm over the sheets, one under, lying on the far side of the bed from the door. _He's so cute when he's sleeping! _Layla giggled _I feel bad… I'm totally about to ruin that. Oh well!_

Getting a running start, Layla silently rocketed towards him, diving onto the empty spot on the bed as she yelled "SHADOW!"

"HOLY SHI-!" he cried, tumbling off the other side of the bed onto the carpet, interrupting his reaction. "Layla… what the hell?"

"Sorry! Didn't mean to bounce ya _that _hard!" Layla laughed, helping Shadow to his feet.

"What time is it? We don't want to be late." He worried.

"It's 5:45. They'll post the roles in 15 minutes. You ready to go?" Layla asked.

"Yeah, are you…?" Shadow questioned scanning Layla in confusion. "You're still in pajamas…" he pointed out.

"I know!" Layla giggled, dancing in her purple and red lace tank top and her purple, red and black striped boxer shorts. "Just stay in what you're wearing! You look good! We can't be late!" she reminded him, grabbing his hand and dashing with him into the dorm living room.

Standing and waiting for them, Mina and Cream smiled, "You ready?" Mina asked, sporting a black tank top with a thick purple stripe down the middle and baggy purple sweatpants.

"Yup, let's go!" Layla cheered, taking Shadow's hand as they left the dorm for the school.

**15 minutes later: School's front entrance**

"Well, look what the wind blew in! Two tone deaf walruses, an emo freak, and his witch!" Scourge scoffed, followed closely by Fiona and Danny.

"Hey Fiona! My nickname rhymes with yours!" Layla laughed getting evil glares from the vixen.

"You just wait and see who's going to be the real witch once that list goes up! Cause this girl's going to be the Wicked Witch of the West!" Fiona bet, getting in Layla's face.

Yawning with a mug of coffee in his hand, Eggman approached the group with set of keys, "Morning Layla, Scourge, Fiona. Early risers... have a nice day." He encouraged, holding open the door.

"Ladies first," Layla joked holding the door for Scourge.

"You're going down, bitch!" Scourge growled.

Getting in his face, Shadow questioned, "Is that a threat, Scourge?"

"You bet so, freak!" he replied, close enough to bite off Shadow's nose with his razor sharp teeth.

"Then bring it!" Shadow said, as the seven took off, racing to get to the list first.

Approaching a set of double doors, Layla and Fiona pushed against them at the same time: locked. "It's locked!" Layla panicked as Fiona gave her an evil smirk, taking off down the hallway on the right as she, Mina and Cream followed.

Smiling evilly, Scourge turned down the hallway leading left as Shadow and Danny followed closely in tow. Throughout the hallway, buckets full of water for the school's weekend mopping sat outside each classroom. Taking this as a perfect opportunity to be a jerk, Scourge knocked over the buckets, covering the hallway in a thin layer of slippery ice water.

"Crap!" Shadow cried, breaking just before running through the water. Not noticing the water soon enough, Danny kept running, slipping on the puddles and sliding hard into the lockers. Pulling out his green chaos emerald, Shadow yelled, "Chaos control!"

"Heh heh heh…." Scourge laughed, running at supersonic speed down the hallway when suddenly, Shadow appeared next to him, punching him in the face. "OW!" he squealed, attempting to hit him back, but missing pitifully.

Fiona took the lead in her race, running down a hallway that was under construction. Trash bags and blocks of wood bordered the hallway. Fiona grabbed a block, hurdling it at Cream's face. "OWWW!" Cream screamed, falling to the hard tile floor as Fiona kept running.

"Cream!" Mina and Layla cried, running to her side.

"Layla! Keep going! I'll help Cream! Beat Fiona!" Mina encouraged.

"Ok!" she agreed running ahead, taking a detour through the courtyard to the next hallway to meet Fiona. Entering the hallway that she knew Fiona would run down next, Layla clenched her chaos emerald and whispered "Chaos Clear!" turning completely invisible to wait for Fiona. Suddenly, the clank of her boots got louder and louder as Fiona turned the corner, headed straight for Layla. Standing ready in the middle of the hallway, Layla punched Fiona in the face as she collided with her transparent body, causing Fiona to fall in agony as she ran ahead.

Dashing frantically to the chorus room, Shadow, Layla, Scourge and Fiona met in the Fine Arts Building. _The chorus room is just down this hall! _Layla thought, approaching double doors at the end of the hallway. Running next to Shadow, the two through themselves against the doors.

"OWW!" they cried, their faces flattened against the locked glass door as Scourge and Fiona laughed maniacally at them from the other side.

"How did they get on the other side?" Layla questioned.

"I don't know! I thought they were behind us the whole time! C'mon! I know a different way!" Shadow remembered, picking Layla up bridal style and dashing around the Fine Arts Building at supersonic speed through a series of doors and hallways until they were on the other side of the door they were just stuck behind.

Yawning as though she had just rolled out of bed, Colette showed up to work in a pair of red and black plaid sweatpants, a black fedora with a red band and a black tank top with a picture of a white treble clef that read 'Nothing but treble.'

"Guess I better put up the list." She sighed, grabbing the staple gun and dragging herself into the hallway outside the chorus room to get to the "Chorus News" bulletin board. Stapling the list, Colette thought _My decision is going to cause major drama… _Looking at her watch, the time read 5:59:55.

"In 5, 4, 3, 2, and-" she counted down. Coming from separate hallways, Shadow with Layla and Scourge with Fiona flew towards the Chorus room at Colette. "Right on time." She mumbled, sipping her coffee as she walked back into her office.

"Move aside! Elphaba and Fiyero need to confirm their roles." Fiona scoffed, pushing Layla to the ground before she could make it to the list. "You're nothing, and you'll always be that way." She said, kicking Layla in the head and stomping on her nose before walking away.

"Layla!" Shadow cried, running to her side. "Layla, are you ok?" he worried, kneeling on the floor next to her, moving the hair out of her face to check the damage.

"I'm fine. It's just a nose bleed." She lied, trying to sit up. "Ow!" she yelled, trying to tell herself that the pain wasn't as bad as it really was.

"More like a head bleed…" Shadow told her. The side of Layla's forehead dripped with blood, while her nose began to swell.

Trying to move her legs, Layla said, "I can get up."

"No! Don't move." Shadow commanded, taking off his shirt and putting it against her forehead to soak up the blood.

"But the list-"

"The list can wait." Shadow assured her. "Your health is more important. Plus, I don't want you to strain yourself by getting in a fight with them." He reasoned, pointing to Scourge and Fiona who approached the list.

"Woo hoo!" Fiona squealed, jumping into Scourge's arms as he spun her around in the air while they passionately kissed.

Breaking apart, they both ran up the Shadow and Layla happy dancing as Scourge boasted, "As expected, we get the roles we want! In your ugly-ass faces!"

"Stars as planned!" Fiona bragged, "That's right! Eat it, bitch!" she cried, slapping an already injured Layla across the face, sending Shadow's bloody shirt flying across the hall as they danced out of the Fine Arts Building.

Once the couple heard the distant door slam shut, Layla broke into tears, letting small sobs escape as she covered her face, blood getting all over her hands.

"Layla, love… please don't cry…" Shadow comforted, picking Layla up, and placing her in his lap.

"No Shadow… they won…" She trailed off, "Them getting the leads are just giving them more of a reason to terrorize us…"

"No! They're not going to lay a hand on you as long as I'm around!" Shadow assured her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her against his chest.

Sniffling, Layla smiled, "Thanks Shadow. I love you."

"I love you too." He grinned.

Suddenly, a door from down the hall opened; the sound of footsteps filled the hallway. Turning the corner, Mina, Cream, and Danny bolted in, surprised to find Layla and Shadow on the floor inside.

"Layla!" Mina cried as the three kneeled down beside them to find out what happened.

"What did they do to you?" Cream worried.

"Fiona shoved me to the floor, kicked me in the head and stomped on my face." Layla explained weakly.

"Did you look at the list yet?" Mina asked, glancing towards the bulletin board eagerly.

"Not yet…" Layla sniffled. "Go see what you got!" she encouraged as the three took off in a series of giggles of excitement.

Scanning the list, there was pensive silence until, "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Mina squealed. "I GOT GLINDA!" she cried, dancing around.

"Congratulations Mina… that's great!" Layla congratulated, wanting to feel happy for her friend, but in a way still sad.

"AND YOU TWO GOT ELPHABA AND FIYERO!" she shrieked in girlish celebration.

"WHAT!" Shadow and Layla both gasped.

"But- Scourge and Fiona…" Layla protested. "They were lying?"

"Well, they didn't say _what _part they got." Shadow recalled. "They just said that they got the parts they wanted! We're Elphaba and Fiyero!" Shadow exclaimed, picking Layla up and spinning her around bridal style.

"WOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOO!" Layla screamed, their lips meeting for a long passionate kiss as they danced in celebration.

Still scanning the list, Danny and Cream searched for their names until, "Cream… WE'RE NESSAROSE AND BOQ!" Danny cried, giving her a quick kiss on the lips as they hugged.

"YAAAAAAAY!" Cream screamed flapping her ears and flying around the hallway.

"You can fly with your ears?" Danny gasped, "SO CAN I!"

"NO WAY!" Cream squealed, holding out her hand from up high as an invitation to join her aerial celebration.

Flapping his ears, Danny lifted off the ground, flying to take Cream's waiting hand. Hand in hand, the two soared around the hallway, laughing and giggling as though they had known each other for years.

"Wait… so if _we _got Elphaba and Fiyero, Mina got Glinda, and Cream and Danny got Nessarose and Boq, then what did Scourge and Fiona get?" Layla questioned.

Carrying Layla to the bulletin board, not wanting her to strain herself by walking, Shadow laughed "Why don't we consult Mr. List?"

"Bahaha!" Layla gasped, covering her face to stifle her laughter.

"What?" he wondered.

"Aren't you eccentric today…" she joked, poking his nose playfully.

"What? I guy can't refer to common object as a proper noun?"

"You're so weird." Layla laughed, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek before scanning the list for Scourge and Fiona's roles. "Look! There!" she pointed, her finger touching their names,

"The Wizard of Oz and Madame Morrible?" they both giggled as they fell to the floor, laughing to the point of tears.

"Looks like they went to go get fitted for powdered wigs!" Shadow joked, tears streaming down Layla's cheeks as she attempted to catch her breath.

"Hey guys! Breakfast is on me at Chicken-My-Biscuit down at the boardwalk! C'mon!" Danny treated, motioning to the door.

"Uh, you guys go ahead, I'm gonna take Layla back to the dorm to get bandaged up." Shadow said, picking Layla up bridal style.

"It's okay Shadow. I'm not bleeding that bad!" Layla lied, pressing her hand to her forehead, "OUCH!" she cried, flinching in pain.

"Yeah… you're fine!" Shadow remarked sarcastically, "Maybe we'll meet you guys there."

"Alright. Hopefully see you there!" Mina smiled, following the others out the door.

"Sorry you couldn't go with the others… you don't have to do this! You could just let me bandage myself. I could do it!" Layla insisted.

"You? Alone with sharp first-aid objects? I don't think so, klutz." Shadow joked.

"Good point…" she agreed as Shadow pulled his brilliant green chaos emerald out of his pocket.

"Thank god I keep this on me. CHAOS CONTROL!" he cried, closing his eyes and clenching the chaos emerald in one hand, holding Layla with the other, letting the chaos energy flow through his body as the quickly disappeared.

**Meanwhile with Scourge and Fiona…**

"WE LOST! I CAN'T FREAKING BELIEVE IT! WE GOT FREAKING MADAME MORRIBLE AND THE FREAKING WIZARD OF FREAKING OZ!" Fiona freaked, grabbing Scourge by the collar of his trademark leather jacket and shaking him senselessly. "WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO! THERE'S NO WAY WE'RE GOING TO MCM WITH THAT ROLE! WHAT THE CRAP ARE WE GOING TO DO SCOURGE?" she questioned, "Scourge?" Fiona interrogated, turning to find her boyfriend chuckling to himself in the corner of his dorm room with an evil smirk on his face. "Why aren't you mad?"

"Because… I have an awesome plan that will _ruin _Layla…" Scourge scoffed, turning Fiona's angry scowl into an expression of interest.

"I'm listening," she said, rubbing her hands together maniacally.

"EERRIICC!" Scourge cried as Eric came zipping to his side.

"Yes, boss, sir?" Eric questioned politely, being careful not to upset him.

"Remember that plan I told you about on the beach last weekend?" Scourge asked.

Eric recalled, "Yeah! The one where I get to use my powers! Whacha' thinking?"

Smirking evilly, Scourge pushed his red sunglasses down over his eyes as he whispered softly, "It's showtime."

"What was with the whisper?" Fiona asked.

"Dramatic effect." Scourge smiled.

"Ooo.. that's pretty hot…" Fiona flirted, kissing him on the nose as he pulled her up against his scarred chest.

**Back at the dorm…**

"WOAH!" Layla screamed as they appeared back in the dorm living room. "You've gotta give me more warning before you just teleport!"

"Sorry about that…. let's get you laying down." Shadow said, placing Layla carefully on the couch, "I don't want you to get blood all over your bed." He told her, walking into the kitchen nearby, raiding the drawers for bandages and scissors.

"You're so sweet, Shadow." Layla giggled.

"I do what I can." He smiled, grabbing an ice pack out of the freezer and joining Layla back on the couch.

"Why?" she asked.

"Why what?" Shadow questioned, giving her a confused expression.

"Why do you always help me? I can do these things myself." She grinned.

"Because I love you. Plus, unless you have some other power that I don't know about, I doubt you could turn your head a full 180 degrees to see the base of your neck where you're also bleeding." He laughed, wrapping her head with ace bandage as he placed the ice pack on her forehead.

"Man… my life is like a bad mix of High School Musical, the Smurfs, and Alias." Layla groaned jokingly as Shadow gave her a confused expression.

"You're so weird." Shadow quoted, kissing her on the nose as the door to the boy's dorms opened revealing a tired blue hedgehog.

"Hey guys… what are you guys doing up? It's like 6:30!" Sonic wondered, getting a glass of orange juice before joining the couple in the living room.

"We went to go see the list for Wicked." Layla reminded him.

"Oh yeah! And….?" Sonic questioned, waiting to hear what parts they got.

"We got Elphaba and Fiyero!" she cried happily, spazzing out on the couch as Shadow held her down.

"Alright! Nice!" Sonic congratulated, high fiving Layla, "I hope that your injury was from you two celebrating so freaking hard that you almost killed yourselves..."he joked, handing Shadow the scissors to cut more bandage.

"It wasn't our celebration that got her beat up." Shadow clarified, "That egomaniac dickface and his slutty girlfriend thought I'd be cute to beat Layla to the ground in order to get to the list first and then pretend that they got the leads."

"Well what'd they get?" Sonic asked.

Stifling their laughter, the two mumbled, "Madame Morrible and the Wizard…"

"BAHAHA! You mean that annoying old hag lady and the man-whore?" he cried, falling to the ground in laughter as he recalled the pair from when he went to see "Wicked" on Broadway in Station Square.

"Yuppers!" Layla answered, out of breathe.

"Dude… way to show em'!" Sonic cheered, fist bumping Shadow and Layla as the door from the girl's dormitory creaked open.

"Good Morning!" Amy greeted, wearing a red tank top with black baggy sweatpants.

"Hey Amy!" Layla smiled, inviting Amy to join the group.

"Mornin' Sonikku!" Amy giggled, kissing Sonic on the cheek as she sat by his side on the couch.

"Hey Ames." Sonic smiled, wrapping his arm around her shoulder as she leaned in closer to his chest.

"So….? What happened?" Amy asked, wanting to know how the morning turned out with their roles.

"ELHABA AND FIYERO!" Layla squealed as Amy jumped off the couch in shock.

"YAAAAAAY!" she screamed as Layla jumped up and hugged Amy, happy dancing around the living room.

"I give up… there's no keeping that spaz down!" Shadow groaned sarcastically, smiling at Layla and Amy from afar. "Hey, faker? Can I ask you something?"

"Uhh sure. Go ahead." Sonic replied nervously.

"What do you do on a date? I wanted to take Layla out to a nice restaurant for celebration tonight, but-"

"You don't have a clue what a date is." Sonic predicted.

"I know what a date is, but I don' know where to go, what to do, how to act, what to wear-"

"You don't have a clue what a date is."

"Correct," Shadow admitted. "but I want it to go well… it's our first date, and I just want her to be happy and have fun."

"Alright pal- this is what you do: take her somewhere nice; maybe a fancy restaurant on The Boardwalk or something. Dress nice, but not too nice; not like a tux or anything… maybe a button down shirt and a tie."

"Dude… the only button down shirts I have are the ones that are a part of the school uniform. Previously nude, remember?" Shadow reminded him, flashing back to the good old days when clothes weren't necessary.

"Well I have to go to the mall for an outfit anyway; I have a date with Amy tonight. If you want to, you can tag along." Sonic offered.

Shadow's smile turned to a look of major disinterest, "Shopping…." He groaned. "Whatever… it's for Layla."

"Oh yeah, and the most important part of a date: Be yourself. I mean, that's all she wants." Sonic informed him, spoken like an expert. "So, are you ready to throw this together in one afternoon?"

"Crap… I don't have much time." Shadow realized.

"You're not off to a very good start; you already managed to get your girlfriend bleeding her guts out and it's only 6:30!" Sonic joked as Shadow glared at him viciously.

"Not funny." He hissed.

"Hey… you want my help? I get to crack any joke I want to." Sonic insisted.

"Fine…" Shadow grunted, "Do you happen to know any fancy restaurants around here?"

"Hmm…" he thought, unfamiliar with the area, "Well I did see this one place on one of my runs; it was called "La Ciotola di Pasta" on The Boardwalk. It's a fancy Italian restaurant."

"Sounds good. I'll call and make a reservation at a reasonable hour." He joked.

"Now here's step two: ask her out, but don't tell her where you're going. Just tell her that it's a fancy restaurant." Sonic instructed, pointing towards Layla and Amy across the room who were too busy celebrating to notice.

"Okay." Shadow agreed, nervously approaching the two cheering girls. "Layla, love?"

"Yeah? What's up darlin'?" she asked happily, her smile instantly melting him.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go out tonight?" he asked, glancing back at Sonic every couple of seconds for help.

"Of course!" Layla squealed, running into his arms for a tight hug. "So what's on the agenda?"

"Dinner at a nice restaurant, and then a walk on the beach?"

"Sounds awesome!" she cried, "Oh Shadow! Our first date! I'm so excited!"

"I am too. I'm going to go make the reservations right now. I'll text you what time to meet me, okay?" he informed her.

"Okay! See you tonight, handsome." She flirted, kissing him quickly on the lips before running with Amy close in tow back to her room.

"Layla! Your first date!" Amy squealed,

"I know… what am I supposed to wear?" Layla wondered already raiding through her closet in excitement.

"Well, he said it's a fancy restaurant… so I would wear something formal." Amy suggested, having been on dates before.

"Oh crap… I'm kinda low on formal wear, you know, because I've only been alive for two years…" she worried, pulling out a gothic, strapless, lacy black dress with red trim that was ripped up at the bottom, "Is this considered formal?" she asked.

With a sickening expression on her face, Amy answered, "Uh…"

"Crud muffins! I guess I'm going shopping!" she decided, placing the racy dress back into her closet and pulling out her normal dress: a strapless red and purple layered dress laced up the front to keep it together. (A/N: Alright… this is the one type of goth dress I'm really really bad at describing… so if you want to see it, go to my deviantart account (Layla-Hedgie), and there is a black and white picture of Layla in her normal dress. The picture is called "Color Me Layla" :D)

"Ooo! Can I help you pick out a dress! I have to pick out a dress for my date with Sonic tonight, anyway!" Amy exclaimed.

"Sure! I'm sooo gonna need help, or else I'd pick out some gothic nightmare dress. Promise me you won't let me do that!" she pleaded.

"Oh honey, I don't even go _near _Cold Topic! Do you know what they'd say to a hot pink hedgehog that walked in there?" Amy joked.

"Do guys even like the gothic look? I mean, I do…" Layla trailed off,

"The average guy doesn't really go for the goths, but Shadow isn't an average guy! He loves you for _you_." Amy told her, making Layla feel a little better, "But… in case you were wondering, Shadow does love the goth look, and you happen to look really cute in black, purple and red."

"Thanks Amy." Layla blushed.

"You're welcome. OOO! Idea! Let's make this a girl's day! We can go shopping, and get massages, and get facials, and-" she cheered, getting overly excited.

"Woah woah woah! Don't get too crazy there, Amy…" Layla warned, "I don't do that kind of stuff!"

"Oh, c'mon Layla! It's fun and relaxing! It totally relieves all of your stress to have a girl's day! And then, by nighttime, you'll feel great, and ready for your date with Shadow with nothing on your mind!" she argued.

"Well… I don't know…" Layla hesitated.

"I mean, don't you feel even the slightest bit stressed about "Wicked!", or Scourge and Fiona?" she questioned.

"Yeah," Layla realized. "Alright… alright…. I'm in!"

"YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY! Girl's day! OMG Layla! It's going to be soooo much fun! You, me, and the mall for the rest of the day!" Amy cheered, dancing around the room.

"Just one question," Layla said, "What's a facial?" she asked.

"Oh honey," Amy groaned, smiling excitedly, "You have soooo much to learn!"

**Meanwhile in the dorm living room…**

"So where are you and Amy going tonight?" Shadow asked, leaning against the kitchen counter next to Sonic.

"I'm taking her dancing at this teen night club down by the Boardwalk called "The Swing"." Sonic informed him, scratching his head in slight embarrassment.

"You can't dance to save your life, faker." Shadow joked.

"Shut up." He said as an exhausted two tailed fox moped into the living room, throwing himself onto the couch.

"Mornin Tails ole' buddy ole' pal!" Sonic cried running over to Tails in excitement, "Why ya' so tired?"

"I pulled an all-nighter working on new mini security cameras that stick to any surface. I made them so we could put them outside the dorm in case you-know-who decides to come sneaking onto our turf." Tails explained. "The footage from the cameras will be streaming live to my computer 24/7."

"Security cameras, eh? Sounds pretty cool!" Sonic approved, giving him a wink and thumbs up.

"Thanks, Sonic. I'm gonna grab some breakfast and then head outside to set them up around the perimeter of the dorm." He said, pouring a glass of chocolate milk after popping two pieces of bread into the toaster.

"Sounds good. Hey Shadow, meet me back out here in 15 minutes so we can head out to the mall." Sonic ordered, walking back towards the door to the 1A dorms to get dressed and ready to leave.

**15 minutes later with Scourge and Fiona…**

"Alright Eric, you ready?" Scourge asked, hiding with Eric and Fiona in a large bush nearby the Sonic gang's dorm, just before the grass meets the sand.

"Bring it!" Eric cried, jumping out of the bush, karate chopping the air and kicking into the wind in attempt to be a ninja.

"Eric!" Fiona yelled as the couple pulled Eric back into the bush, "They'll see you!" she cried, pointing to Sonic, Shadow, Layla and Amy walking down the front steps of the dorm, giggling and dancing like a big pack of goofballs.

"Hey, I have a question," Layla choked out, trying to catch her breathe from laughing so hard, "Which one of you two is faster?" she wondered, pointing at Shadow and Sonic.

"Haha… that's a funny one, Layla!" Sonic joked, "The answer's obvious!"

"Yeah, I mean, I think all of us know the faster one here!" Shadow laughed, brushing the dust off his shirt, laughing alongside Sonic.

"Hahaha…. _Me_." They both claimed at the same time, instantly turning to each other in shock.

"That's funny Shadow, but you and I both know that _I'm _faster." Sonic said getting in Shadow's face.

Smirking and pre-emptively accepting Sonic's challenge, Shadow stepped forward, "I hate to burst your bubble faker, but I'm the Ultimate Lifeform-"

"Eh hem…" Layla coughed, tapping her foot in playful annoyance.

"Sorry- one of the _two_ Ultimate Lifeforms!" he corrected, winking at Layla.

"Thank you," she smiled, blowing him a kiss.

"I'm the fastest thing in existence." Shadow informed him.

"Yeah, more like you're stupid rocket skates are the fastest thing in existence!" Sonic joked, making Amy and Layla giggle.

"Hey, don't diss the rocket skates!" Layla joked.

"Is that a challenge?" Shadow questioned, pulling his bright green chaos emerald out of his pocket, tossing it tauntingly in Sonic's face.

"You bet your fancy shoes it is!" he cried, "First one to the fountain in the center of the mall wins and earns the title of 'The Fastest Thing Alive'!" Sonic challenged, snatching the emerald out of mid-air, "And to make sure you don't cheat, I'll be holding on to this for a little while."

"Fine! I don't need that rock to prove my superiority, anyway!" Shadow assured him, crossing his arms is agreement.

"Alright… Amy, countdown to 'go'." Sonic instructed as the two hedgehogs lined up in the sand, leaning forward on one foot for a head start.

"On your mark… get set… GO!" she cried, throwing her hands in the air as the two disappeared as blue and black blurs over the horizon towards to Boardwalk.

"Guys are so competitive… it was just a simple question." Layla sighed, rolling her eyes.

"Let's just walk there." Amy suggested as Layla nodded in agreement. Walking side by side, Amy walked along Sonic's many small individual footprints as Layla followed Shadow's fewer skid marks; both foot prints easily distinguishable due to their different running patterns.

About a minute after the girl's headed for the mall, Scourge pushed Eric out of the bush and yelled, "The coast is clear! GO!"

"Okay, okay! Quit shoving!" Eric cried, picking the leaves from the bush out of his quills.

"Eric, this is your last chance to redeem yourself! DO NOT FAIL!" Scourge hissed through his teeth, scaring the crap out of Eric.

Recovering himself, Eric grinned evilly, "Don't worry boss. By the end of the night, Layla and Shadow will be gone."

* * *

**Shadow, Layla, Cream, Mina, and Danny did it! They got the leads! :D Take that Scourge and Fiona... but it looks like that's coming with a price...**

**Also... HOLY FREAKING CRAP MUFFINS YOU GUYS! 150 REVIEWS! (I wish that there was some way to do CAPS LOCK on numbers, because THAT'S HOW EXCITED AND GRATEFUL I AM!) WOW... 150! YOU GUYS ARE ! I have the best readers in the whole entire world, and I want to go scream it from the mountain tops! When I first made this story, I imagined it getting 15 reviews tops for the whole thing. 150 is just mind blowingly amazing! You all are the most frabjously fantastic readers ever! I love you guys! Every single one of you! If you ever just want to talk, or have any questions or suggestions, PM me, or leave a review. If you do not have an account and you leave an anonymous review with a question, I will try to answer it in my Author's Notes. Before I began writing, I just used my account for sending people messages and saving stories and authors to my favorites list. There are a bunch of you anonymous reviewers out there who are FANTASTICLY AMAZING people I would really love to chat with you through PM! Plus, signing up is free! :D**

**Thank you SOOOO much for reviewing:**

**Heywhatup**

**Aravi Velez**

**super mario 675**

**iSparkle-Hime**

**Aero l'aquila**

**Lightning Man**

**Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf**

**sonicathehedgehog**

**sonicdahedgehogfan**

**Swift the Hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

**Hiding in His Shadow (anonymous reviewer)**

**naruto the hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

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**This story would not be possible without your support! Thank you guys soooooooo much! You all get air hugs! :D **

**How will Amy, Layla, Shadow and Sonic's little mall excersion (my favorite word next to frabjous! :P) go? Who's going to win the race to the mall? What's Eric up to? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama! :D **

**Have a frabjous day! :D**


	21. One SHORT Girl's Day

Hiya peoples! :D I'm sorry it took me so long to update! Fanfiction had this weird glitch going on where you couldn't update your story in certain large fandoms (since Sonic the Hedgehog is such a large fandom, most stories in that catagory were effected) It wouldn't let me update the story until I went to the help desk forum and they finnaly figured out how to fix the problem! :D If you are having this glitch where it gives you an error message when trying to update your story, here's how to fix it:

1. Go to the "My Stories" tab to update your story like always.

2. Click the story you want to update.

3. A error message should pop up, telling you to email the support team or whatever it tells you to do... :P

4. Look at the URL at the top of the screen. In it, you should see the word "**property**" followed by a series of numbers and letters.

5. Change the word "**property**" to "**content**" in the URL. Do not change anything else.

6. Click enter, and you should be able to update your story like always. :)

I have a thing that I've decided to start doing in my authors notes starting next chapter! I'll tell you all about it in my author's notes at the end of the chapter where I have the list of people who reviewed! :D

Also... something ironic: This week, me and a bunch of my best friends went to New York City with my chorus group! :D We went to go see Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark (yeah... I know... the 65 million dollar "waste of time and money" that has injured a bunch of people... but gosh darnet it was AMAZING!) IT WAS INCREDIBLE! In our show, there were 2 technical difficulties: the Green Goblin and Arachne both got stuck in midair! XD (this made my life :D) But you know what was so freaking ironic about the whole show? It was about fanfiction! XD Yes... it is about a group of nerds writing a Spiderman fanfiction! XD Sorry, I felt the need to post that on fanfiction... :P Oh the irony! XD Also... we went to see Wicked! Another ironic topic! I've seen it before, and I was REALLY excited to see it again! I think refreshing my mind on how it was performed will help me write the chapter about the ECHS production. :D Elphaba+Fiyero forever! 3 But seriously, if you ever go to New York City, see Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark, and Wicked! I promise you, it is worth your money! They are both INCREDIBLEY AMAZING in their own ways. You can't even compare them... they're so different! But fantastically different! :)

Another thing... no irony in this, I'm sorry. X( I don't know if you've heard, but this amazing dude Eddie Lebron is making a non-for-profit CGI Sonic fanfilm! That's right! The words "CGI", "Sonic", and "Film" have finally come together in one sentence! This dude is soooo freaking awesome, that he even got the one... the only... JALEEL WHITE to voice Sonic!

SOMETHING REALLY FUNNY THAT HAPPENED: I saw EDDIE LEBRON in New York! I was too nervous to say hi though... UGH! I regret it sooooooo much! Out of my group of friends, I'm the only true Sonic fanatic, and when I saw him, I flipped out and squealed like a fangirl. I was like," EEEEEEEPPPP!" and my friends were like, "What the heck are you doing!" and I squealed, "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHO THAT IS! THAT IS EDDIE LEBRON! EDDIE FREAKING LEBRON! THE MOST AMAZING SONIC FANFILM MAKER EVER!" and they all rolled their eyes and said, "Go say hi then..." BUT I WAS TOO NERVOUS! I regret it soooooo much! Meh. :/ Oh well. I have the wonderful memories of his amazing face. :)

Lesson of the day: If you see a celebrity that you love and adore (like how I love and adore Eddie Lebron) DO NOT be like me and be too nervous to say hi... GO RUN AND GIVE THEM A HUG AND A CHILI DOG GOSH DARNET! XD

Anyway... here is Chapter 21! :D Enjoy! Have a Frabjous Day! :D

* * *

Chapter 21: One SHORT Girl's Day

**The Emerald Coast Mall**

"A little bit to the right… a little bit higher… now a little to the left… oooooooo yeah….." Amy sighed as the lion dug his elbow into her back, lying in the mall's spa face down on massage table next to Layla on the table to her right. "How ya' doing over there Layla?" Amy moaned.

"Ohhhhhh yeahhhhhh…" Layla groaned as the female lion pushed her fingers into her neck, "So this is deep tissue massage…"

"Alright girls, you wait here while Olga and I go get the facial masks and mud bath ready. While we're gone, you two wrap your hair up with a towel." The lion instructed, tossing them each a towel.

"Thanks Olaf." The hedgehogs both giggled as Olaf escorted his twin sister out of the candle lit room.

Immediately after the door shut, Amy squealed, "Oh my gosh, Layla! Isn't Olaf sooo hot!"

"I know right? Wait girl… hold back… you're taken…" Layla told herself, trying to resist his hunkiness.

"You're right… we're not single!" Amy resisted.

"Speaking of not being single… who do you think won the race between the boys?" Layla asked,

**About 30 minutes ago with Shadow and Sonic…**

"Face it Shadow! I'm faster!" Sonic yelled, neck in neck with Shadow, approaching the mall entrance at supersonic speed.

"Sorry faker, but there's a reason "Ultimate Lifeform" is a part of my name!" Shadow shouted over the loud noise of the wind blowing roughly in their faces.

Dashing at the front entrance of the Emerald Coast Mall, Sonic and Shadow grabbed a set of double doors, throwing them open and letting the cool gust of air from the air conditioned environment inside embrace them as they rocketed inside, dodging the various shoppers and kiosks in their way.

"Look out!" "Run for your lives!" "AHH!" random shoppers screamed, diving out of the way as the blue and black blur zipped through the mall, the wind from the sonic boom knocking over the mannequins and displays outside of stores as the large fountain came into sight ahead.

_Almost there! _Sonic thought, eager to reach the fountain.

_Just a little further! I've gotta beat this hot head! _Shadow thought, running as fast as he could to pass Sonic.

"I WIN!" they both cried, losing balance and falling into the large fountain, splashing water all over the floor and spectators standing nearby.

"_I _WON!" Sonic claimed, splashing Shadow, knocking him down into the shallow water.

"NO! _I _WON!" Shadow yelled, pushing Sonic out of the fountain and onto the cold tile floor.

"_I _WON! _I'M_ THE FASTEST THING ALIVE!" Sonic growled, punching Shadow in the stomach.

"Oh yeah!" Shadow hissed, punching Sonic upside the head before kicking him in the butt, knocking him to the ground as his chaos emerald out of his back pocket. Picking up the chaos emerald, Shadow smirked. Clenching it and closing his eyes, Shadow attempted to induce chaos control with suddenly, his face met the floor quickly after Sonic tripped him, kicking him in the back. Struggling to get up, Shadow layed out on the ground as Sonic attacked him when an idea struck him. "CHAOS CONTROL!" he cried.

"NOOOoooooo….." Sonic cried, his scream slowing down with time as Shadow moved at a normal pace due to the chaos energy.

"Hmm… this could be fun." Shadow grinned, waltzing over to the nearest kiosk as everyone around him remained frozen. Scanning the counter, his eyes met what he was looking for, "Aha!" he chuckled, picking up the black Sharpie marker and skipping back over to Sonic.

_Hmmm… what facial hair should Sonic get today? _He thought, _Oo! I've got it! Unibrow and Evil Twin Goatee combo! _Throwing the cap of the Sharpie to the floor, he doodled a large bushy unibrow over Sonic's shiny cyan fur. _Now for the goatee… _Resting his elbow on Sonic's shoulder, he moved to his muzzle, drawing a curly mustache under his nose and an upside-down triangle on his chin. _Perfect! Now for a picture for later blackmail…_

Frantically looking around before the chaos energy wears off, Shadow spotted a Fox Camera; on display was a new polaroid camera, with new fast developing film.

"I'll just be borrowing this for a minute." Shadow told the frozen cashier, joining a hairy Sonic back by the fountain. "Say cheese, moron!" he laughed, taking 2 pictures. Within seconds, the pictures developed, showing Sonic with a retarded expression on his face with his arms held out spastically, only making the sharpie even more hysterical. "BAHAHA!" he laughed, slipping one picture in his back pocket. "Well I've had my fun. The chaos energy's about to wear off anyway…." He sighed, returning the Sharpie and camera back to their owners.

"And in 3, 2, 1-" he counted down, high-kicking Sonic in the back of the head at last second, restoring time as everyone in the mall began moving at normal pace as if nothing happened.

"OW!" he cried, gripping his quills, "Hmm… that's weird… why does my face feel ticklish?" he wondered, scratching underneath his nose as he went to go look at his reflection in the water of the fountain. "WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TO MY FACE, SHADOW?"

"Haha! Congratulations, faker! You officially look like the guy on the Pringles tin!" he laughed, showing him one of the pictures.

"YOU ASSHOLE! GIVE ME THAT PICTURE BEFORE I RIP YOUR FACE OFF!" he cried, attempting to snatch the embarrassing snapshot out of Shadow's hand.

"Not until you admit that I'm the Fastest Thing Alive!" Shadow taunted, holding the photo just out of Sonic's reach over his head.

"Never!" Sonic cried, punching Shadow in the face, making him lose balance.

"Oh, okay.. . I see how it is!" Shadow growled through his teeth, shoving his fist into Sonic's chest, knocking him to the ground.

"It's on!" he coughed, tripping Shadow, beginning an all out brawl at supersonic speed on the floor of the mall beside the fountain.

"HOLY CRAP!" "RUN!" shoppers cried, sprinting for their lives out of the way of the fight.

"IT'S THE APOCALYPSE!" an elderly owl cried, trying to run away on his walker as a snail, a tortoise and a sloth all passed by.

"I'M FASTER!"

"GIVE ME THAT PICTURE SHADOW!"

"NO WAY FAKER!" the two shouted back and forth.

Suddenly without warning, 5 burley mall security officers came running at the scene, diving on top of the two brawling hedgehogs, "WOAH WOAH WOAH! BREAK IT UP! BREAK IT UP!" a rhino- chief mall cop- cried as the 4 other rhinos grabbed Sonic and Shadow, dragging them to separate ends of the large atrium.

"My name is Officer Carl, and you two are under arrest." The large rhino informed them, holding out his badge.

"WHAT!" Sonic and Shadow cried, instantly stopping their resistance against the mall cops holding them down.

"For disturbing the peace. We're taking you to mall jail." Officer Carl said coldly,

"Woah woah there Officer Carl… I think you're making some kind of mistake." Sonic laughed as though this was all a joke, "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog."

Carl crossed his arms, giving Sonic a confused look, "Who?"

"Sonic the Hedgehog! You know, saved the world from Doc Botnik a couple years back…? The hero? The Fastest Thing Alive?" (A/N: yes, I'm aware that Eggman and Robotnik are in fact the same person, but in this story, they're separate people.) he reminded him as Shadow glared from afar due to his last reference.

"Never heard of you." The rhino growled, rolling his eyes.

"Yup, that's right, I'm- Huh?" Sonic gasped in disbelief.

"I said, I've _never heard of you!_" he shouted, getting in Sonic's face close enough to smell his nasty onion breather.

"Someone needs a Tic Tac."Sonic joked, holding his nose with his free hand.

"TAKE THE OBNOXIOUS PRINGLES BOY AND HIS FRIEND AWAY!" Carl yelled as the four rhinos dragged them away towards the security office.

"Told you that you looked like the Pringles guy…" Shadow muttered, chuckling to himself

"Shut up, Shadow." He mumbled.

"I was faster, though."

"No, I was."

"No… I was."

"No, me."

"No, me." They bickered as the cops dragged them away.

**Back at the spa…**

"Do I really just get in?" Layla asked, wearing a black spa bikini with her hair wrapped in a towel, standing next to the claw foot bathtub filled to the brim with mud.

"Yes, Layla! It feels awesome! It really softens your fur once you get out." Amy informed her.

"But, why mud? This is so weird… well maybe not as weird as tis green stuff all over my face." She said, putting her finger to her face to feel the facial mask.

"Just get it. It feels good, I promise!" Amy encouraged.

"Okay…" Layla agreed nervously, slowly letting her body sink into the thick dark brown mud.

"Good! Now put the cucumber slices over your eyes." Amy instructed.

"Why? I though he gave us those to eat them…" Layla mumbled, looking at the cucumber slices with confusion.

"I don't know… just do it." She directed, putting the mint green fruit slices over her eyes and sinking against the wall of the tub, relaxing all of her muscles and closing her eyes. "Ahh…" she sighed.

Cautiously, the black hedgehog put them over her eyes, "I feel sort of ridiculous." She admitted.

"Yeah, but this is the one time when ridiculous is okay!" Amy giggled, " Just relax."

"Alrighty. I can do that." Layla smiled, sinking into the mud, _Just relax girl… _she thought, _Don't think about Wicked, or Scourge and Fiona, or your date with Shadow… just relax… _"Wow… you're right Amy, this feels awesome." He admitted, finally relaxing.

**Mall Security Office**

"ME!"

"ME!"

"NO! ME!" Shadow and Sonic both continued fighting as they entered the small concrete walled office with a tiny cell in the back that looked big enough for about 3 people. Inside, there was a cot, a toilet, and a sink.

"WOULD YOU BOTH SHUT UP ALREADY!" Officer Carl shouted as the 4 rhinos threw Sonic and Shadow into the small cell, quickly shutting the door, locking it immediately before filing out of the office.

"Thanks boys." Carl waved to the other cops as they left. "Now to deal with you two." He grinned evilly, "Get out your cell phones." He commanded as Shadow pulled his out his Peach-Phone (like Apple's iPhone, but Peach instead of Apple :P) that was given to him by GUN.

"Dude, where's your phone?" Shadow asked as Sonic frantically looked through his pockets.

"Must have left it in my other pants… and crap! Today was the day Amy said she'd do my laundry!" Sonic remembered, smacking himself in the head.

"DUDE! You get a free Peach-Phone less than a month ago and manage to lose it already. Smooth. You-know-who's gonna kill you." Shadow said, referring to GUN.

"Well I'm sorry! I'm just not used to wearing clothes yet, okay?" Sonic yelled, not realizing what he was saying sounded really creepy until he said it.

"What kind of sick place do you come from?" Officer Carl questioned as Sonic began to answer, he interrupted, "Don't answer that; I don't want to know."

"Okay dude, your loss." Sonic shrugged, sitting on the cot next to Shadow, leaning against the concrete wall and kicking his feet up on the toilet.

"Alright black hedgehog, you can make one call to have someone come pick you up and then I will be confiscating your phone." Carl warned.

"And if I don't cooperate?" Shadow asked.

"Well, I can always call the _real _cops…" he offered, pulling out his walkie-talkie.

"Or I can give you my phone…" Shadow agreed, "Sonic, should we call the girls?"

"Dude, who else are we gonna call? GUN!" Sonic whispered so that Carl couldn't hear.

"Alright, I'll call Layla." Shadow decided, calling Layla on speed dial.

"You better do it quick; this po-po doesn't play games!" Sonic said, motioning towards Officer Carl who was sitting at his desk, his legs kicked up on the table as his cleaned his gun.

**Back at the spa…**

_I could lie here all day…. _She thought, resting her arms against the rim of the tub, above the mud, when suddenly:

_"And if you have a minute why don't we go… talk about it somewhere only we know. This could be the end of everything. So why don't we go… somewhere" _Layla's phone played aloud, ruining the atmosphere of the relaxing environment.

"Sorry… that's my ringtone I've set for whenever Shadow calls…" Layla blushed, "Hey, darlin'." She answered.

"Please pick up… please pick up… please pick up!" Sonic prayed, as he eagerly waited for Shadow to respond.

"Hey, love." He smiled, giving a thumbs up to Sonic.

"YES!" Sonic cheered, hating being cooped up in the cell.

"What's up? Everything ok?" she asked, sitting up in the bathtub.

"Yeah, everything's fine. I just called to say hey, and there was something else that I wanted to tell you but I forgot…" he said, "Oh yeah…. WE'RE STUCK IN MALL JAIL!"

"WHAT!" she cried, the cucumber slices falling off of her eyes and into the mud, "Shadow the Hedgehog! What did you do!" she interrogated.

Holding the phone about a foot away from his face due to her yelling, Shadow sighed, "Sonic and I kinda got in a little fight after I won the race…"

"HEY! _I _WON THE RACE!" Sonic shouted in the background.

"Yeah, you wish." Shadow glared.

"What's going on?" Amy worried, taking the cucumber slices off of her eyes.

"Oh, Shadow…" Layla groaned in disbelief.

"Could you come bail us out? I've got a feeling we'll be headed to the big house pretty soon if someone doesn't pick us up." He informed her, looking at Officer Carl nervously.

"TEN SECONDS HEDGEHOG!" the rhino warned, getting up to take the phone away.

"Okay, we'll be right there." Layla agreed.

"Thanks, love." Shadow smiled, taking the phone away from his ear to hang it up just before saying, "I love you…"

"I know you do." she said sarcastically, hanging up the phone. "Ugh…" Layla groaned, getting out of the bathtub and dashing across the room to get a towel.

"What happened?" Amy questioned.

Layla yelled, "The guys got sent to mall jail! Idiots…"

"WHAT!" she cried, jumping out of the tub.

"We have to hurry and bail them out!" she rushed, wrapping the towel over her bikini and throwing away the muddy cucumber slices.

"Okay, let me rinse off and get changed. I'll be-"

"We don't have time!" Layla interrupted, throwing a towel to Amy. "Wrap that around your body and run! We can come back for our clothes later!" she assured her, running out of the room into the lobby of the spa where Olaf, Olga and a few other lions helped other guests.

"Olaf, we'll be right back!" Layla yelled, running out of spa exit into the hustle and bustle of the mall.

"Where are you two going?" Olaf questioned.

"We have to bail our boyfriends out of jail!" Amy informed him, running after Layla.

"Okay! Have fun…?" he said awkwardly, watching the two muddy hedgehogs run barefoot through the crowded mall with their hair and bodies wrapped in towels and their face covered in mint green facial masks.

**Meanwhile at the Mall** **Security office**

"Crud… she was pissed." Shadow told Sonic, passing his phone to Officer Carl through the bars of the cell, "Be afraid Sonic… nothing is more terrifying than our girlfriends when they're angry."

"Well, we did pretty much screw up their whole spa day." Sonic reminded him, scratching his head in guilt.

"You're right… UGH! I feel like such a jerk!" he realized, hiding his face in his hands.

Suddenly, the large metal security door to the office opened, revealing furious Layla and Amy, wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around a bikini, their faces still covered in green goop while the rest of their fur from their neck down was covered in mud.

"Man that was good timing." Sonic gasped, standing up and anxiously grabbing the bars of the cell.

"Uh…" Officer Carl stuttered, trying to contain his laughter over their ridiculous appearance, "Are these your morons, ladies?"

"Yes, officer." Layla confirmed, giving death glares to Shadow.

"Alright. You are lucky these girls came to "claim" you. I was about 10 minutes away from sending you to the big house." He informed them, opening the cell as Sonic dashed out.

"Sonic!" Amy cried, unable to be mad, just happy to see him, "Are you okay?" she questioned running into his waiting arms.

"I'm fine. Thank you so much for bailing us out! I couldn't stay cooped up in there much longer!" he said, shuddering the thought of real prison. "I love you so much."

"I love you too, Pringles guy!" she joked, unable to resist.

"Shuddup…" Sonic chuckled, playfully punching Amy on the shoulder as she gave him a kiss on the cheek.

Nervously, Shadow approached Layla who stood with her arms crossed unable to make eye contact with him. "Layla I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to interrupt your spa day! I feel like such a jerk… you of all people deserve a break, and I totally-"

Suddenly, Layla leaned in, giving him a five second kiss on the lips, instantly shutting him up and leaving some facial cream on his lips. "I just can't stay mad at those big crimson eyes." She blushed, smiling at him as she looked into his beautiful red eyes. "I'm glad you're okay."

"Thanks for coming to the rescue." He said, giving her a hug.

"No problem… just try to _not _get arrested next time." Layla giggled, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But… even if you do; I'll be there to bail you out. Just not on another spa day. If it happens then, it's your problem." She joked, laughing and punching Shadow playfully on the arm as he stared back at her in silence with a blank expression on his face, "I love you, darlin'…"

"I know," He quoted, taking Layla's hand as they started for the door.

"Hey! Listen up! If I catch either one of you boys in my mall again, I'll send you straight to prison! You hear me? You're both banned from the mall!" Officer Carl yelled.

"Yes Officer." Amy responded nervously as the four excited to security office quickly before anything else could happen.

Standing outside of the security office next to the large department store, Lacy's, Layla asked, "Are you two really going to leave the mall?"

"Psht! Heck no!" Sonic replied, "We're going to go get the uh… "stuff" we need." He hinted, not wanting the girls to know that they're shopping for the date.

"Well, you guys have fun with your… "stuff shopping"." Amy said using air quotes, "We're going back to the spa."

"Well, have fun "sitting in mud"," Sonic imitated, copying Amy's hand motions. "Oh, and Amy? Meet me in the living room around 7?"

"Sounds cool!" she agreed, kissing him on the cheek, "Oh, and you might wanna wash off the 'stache,"

"Oh yeah… hehe…" he blushed, covering his face with his hands in embarrassment.

"Want to meet me in the living room at 6, love?" Shadow asked, taking her hand romantically.

"No!" she cried, "Just kiddin! Bahaha, of course!" she laughed, "I can't wait." Layla blushed, giving him a parting hug as she and Amy walked back to the spa.

"Is it just me, or do you feel like the luckiest girl in the world?" Amy asked.

"I don't _feel _like the luckiest girl in the world; I _am _the luckiest girl in the world." Layla smiled, turning around to look back at the boys walking into Lacy's as Shadow turned around at the same time gazing back at her. Quickly, Layla blew him a kiss as he reached his arm out, "catching" it in midair and putting his hand to his lips before turning around to catch up to Sonic.

**Meanwhile with Eric…**

"Okay, one of these balconies _has _to be Layla's." Eric mumbled to himself, "Which side is the girl's side anyway? 1A or 1B?" she wondered, "Might as well try each one." He decided, "But how will I get up there?" Eric questioned, gazing up to the tall balcony far above his head. Looking around, he spotted a gutter running up the side and roof of the dorm building. "Bingo!" he cried, "I'll shrink myself down so I can climb up the gutter."

Facing his palms toward his head, Eric concentrated, forming a purple beam of light from his hands, engulfing his body as he began to shrink. Getting smaller and smaller by the second, he eventually stood at a whopping 3 inches tall in from of the gutter. "Awesome." He smirked, loving his shrinking abilities.

Quickly, Eric jumped into the gutter, inching himself up the inside until he reached the top on the roof of the dorm. Running along the flat gutter at the top of the building, Eric positioned himself right over the first balcony. _Let's hope this is the right one… _he thought, jumping from the gutter down onto the balcony. Peeking inside of the bedroom, Eric saw a large computer system with multiple mechanical looking things sitting on lab tables next to a giant tool bench area. The lights were off; no one was in the room.

_Ugh! This must be that nerd Tails' room! What would that techno-geek know about Layla? _He thought, "That's it! Geeks like him like to keep profiles of people and places on their computers. Maybe he keeps some kind of embarrassing information about her on here." Eric realized, restoring himself to his normal height before running to lock the door.

Cracking his knuckles, he turned on the massive computer as what seemed like thousands of little lights lit up as well. "Please enter 4 letter password." A female robotic voice said.

"Hmm… 'Tail'." He guessed, typing it into the keyboard.

"'Tail'. Access denied." The computer said as a big red X popped up on the screen.

"Not Tail, huh? Let's try 'nerd'." He tried entering the word.

"'Nerd'. Access denied." The voice repeated.

"Hmm… it's probably something close to him. What's a four letter word of something important to the little twerp?" he wondered, "I've got it!" he realized typing in the password.

"'Mina'. Access granted." The computer said robotically as his desktop picture pulled up: a picture of Sonic giving Tails a noogie as he laughed hysterically underneath his arm.

"Let's see here… where would I find something about Layla and Shadow?" he mumbled, scrolling through the icons on his desktop when suddenly, one caught his eye.

"CLASSIFIED: Project ENERGY SOURCE Journal… what the heck is this?" he questioned, double clicking the icon when suddenly, dozens of windows opened up, each one an individual diary entry from Tails from every day of their mission, showing pictures graphs and other charts. "A journal? This geek keeps a diary! Gay little fag!" Eric laughed, "Hmm… let's find the first entry." He said, opening up the first document posted, "Here it is!"

_**Project ENERGY SOURCE: Day 1**_

_Today was the first day of high school… and trying to find suspicious activity around the school. GUN sent Sonic, Knuckles, Amy, Cream, Shadow, Rouge, and I undercover on a secret mission as high school students at Emerald Coast High School. Apparently, there are large sums of dangerous energy coming from the school, and we have to find out where the energy field is coming from, destroy it and protect the students if anything goes wrong. We were given our dorm assignments today, and we met a lot of new friends, new enemies, and people to pay close attention to. Blaze the Cat and Silver the Hedgehog are fantastic people who were really nice about welcoming us into the school. Mina Mongoose is so nice, and really pretty… but then there was an incident in the cafeteria with our new friend Layla the Hedgehog. The school bullies Scourge the Hedgehog and Fiona Fox decided to beat the crud out of her. Luckily we were there to put the fight to an end pretty quickly. She's friendly, and really nice, but yet, there's something suspicious about her, like she's hiding something. I'm sure she's not related to the mission, but we're still going to keep a close eye on her._

"Holy crud… secret agents? They are SPIES for the military?" Eric gasped, quickly scrolling to read more, "Let's go to a later entry."

_**Project ENERGY SOURCE: Day 6**_

_Tonight, we received major news from Shadow and Layla that could conclude our mission. Not only is Shadow an Ultimate Lifeform created by Dr. Gerald Robotnik, but so is Layla! Shadow was created long before the Space Colony ARK raid, and lived there until GUN came and killed hundreds in the space colony. Created just before the destruction of ARK, Layla was never awakened, left in her life containment cell with the remains of the space colony until Dr. Eggman came and brought her to Emerald Coast High School where he is principle. Shadow has the ability to run at supersonic speed and induce chaos control to stop time. Layla can do the same as Shadow (minus the time stop) but she can also turn invisible. If they hold hands, they can use each other's powers and create an energy shield. After she revealed our secret, we soon figured out something huge: Layla and Shadow are the energy source. When Layla induced Chaos control, the sensors down at GUN HQ picked up the chaos energy, but when they created the energy shield together, the sensors spiked, doubling in intensity. We aren't going to tell GUN about their secret because if so, they would be arrested and taken to some lab in Area 99 where they would be locked away to run tests on forever. _

Below the journal entry, there was a picture of Shadow and Layla holding hands with a red glow emanating from their palms.

"HOLY SHIT!" Eric cried, almost falling out of the chair in shock. "Well, I think getting locked up in Area 99 will definitely fit Scourge and Fiona's orders." He laughed. "Now how do I let GUN in on their little secret?" Surfing through the files on Tails' computer, he found the icon on the desktop that read _GUN Video Chat._ "That should do it!" he smirked, "But wait, how am I going to talk to them? They won't believe me… I'm just some random kid from the school." He realized, looking around the room when he spotted a MHIP (mini holographic image projector) on his desk. Laughing maniacally, Eric mumbled, "But they'll definitely believe Sonic…"

Grabbing the metal bracelet and slapping it onto his wrist, Eric searched the color chart for the code for cyan blue. "Cyan blue… cyan blue… Ah! Here it is! 8237!" he cried typing the code into the number pad and holding the MHIP in front of his body. Scanning his entire body, the MHIP went over his body a second time, turning his fur to a perfect cyan, completely matching Sonic's fur.

"It's Showtime." He smirked, clicking on the icon as the video chat loaded.

"Hey Sonic. What's going on?" the GUN agent asked, popping up in a chat window on the computer screen.

"Well, we've made a pretty big discovery. We know what- or in this case who- the energy source is." Eric imitating Sonic smiled.

"Really! Sonic, that's huge! Who is it?" the GUN agent questioned eagerly, about to jump out of his chair.

"Well, first off, an even bigger discovery. Were you aware that there are _two _Ultimate Lifeforms created by Dr. Gerald Robotnik?"

"TWO ULTIMATE LIFEFORMS!" he gasped, "How can that be? When we shut down ARK 50 years ago, we did a thorough search of the space colony! "

"Well here she is." Eric scoffed, showing him the picture of Shadow and Layla through the computer.

"Well, what does she have to do with the energy source!" the agent asked.

"She _is _the power source. And now that they've met, they are twice as powerful as they were before. It's becoming dangerous for the students." "Sonic" informed him.

"Amazing… something must be done about those two! Her existence leaves us with _years_ of tests and research! They're also bringing danger to the entire world! Shadow and… uh… what's her name?" he asked, scratching his head.

"Layla. Layla the Hedgehog." Eric told him, rubbing his hands together evilly.

Nodding in acknowledgement, the GUN agent exclaimed, "Well then… Shadow and Layla must be captured immediately!"

"Fantastic! Shadow and Layla are going out on a date tonight for dinner and a walk on the beach. They should be headed away from The Boardwalk and toward the dorm around 9:00; that's when you grab em' Be here at 2100 hours sharp!" Eric instructed, when suddenly, the locked door knob began to jiggle. "Gotta go!" he cried, closing out of the chat room.

Frantically, Eric searched around the room for somewhere to hide, but in such an open laboratory, there was just about nowhere. On Tails' night stand, a Sonic action figure stood, "There!" Eric cried, throwing the action figure under the bed as he took off the black leather jacket and skinny jeans he was wearing and putting them with the action figure. Quickly, he stood on the night stand, concentrating as he engulfed his body in violet light, shrinking himself down to the size of the action figure, about 4 inches tall.

Suddenly, the lock on the door turned as Tails walked in, "Man, I didn't remember locking the door..." he recalled, looking around the room, "or leaving my computer on…" he remembered, gazing around for anyone hiding. Approaching the night stand, Eric stood completely still, frozen in fear as the giant Tails approached him. "Oh well, I guess no one's here." He sighed, sitting on the bed. Smiling and looking at Eric, Tails picked up what he thought was his Sonic action figure. Cupping Eric in both of his hands, he sat and stared at him smirking with nostalgic eyes.

_HOLY SHIT! HOLY SHIT! REMAIN CALM! REMAIN CALM! _He thought, totally creeped out by being held like a doll by the giant fox.

"I've gotta get those cameras set up. I won't let you down, Sonic." He told Eric in determination.

_That's great kid…. NOW PUT ME THE HELL DOWN!_ He thought, keeping his composure and remaining calm.

"You know, I've been meaning to put this Sonic action figure up on that shelf up there for a long time. I guess I'll do it now while I'm holding it. Plus, what would Mina say if she saw I had this?" Tails decided. Since his dorm was on the very end, part of the ceiling in his room was about ten feet higher than everyone else's, making that part of the ceiling about 25 feet from the floor.

_WHAT! No! NO! Not a shelf! THAT'S MY #1 FEAR! PLEASE! NOT THE SHELF! _Eric thought, trying to squirm out Tails' grip as he flew them up to the shelf.

Smiling happily, Tails told Eric, "There you go, Sonic!", waving goodbye to the "doll" before flying back down to the floor. Grabbing the pile of mini security cameras, he walked out onto the balcony flying off it to the ground below.

"HOLY SHIT!" Eric cried, still the size of a soda can, leaning over the edge of the small shelf about a foot away from the ceiling which loomed 25 feet above the hardwood floor. There was nowhere to run or climb; there was nothing around or between the shelf and the floor which seemed like miles away. "THAT WAS HORRIFYING! Well… not as horrifying as getting stuck in my little sister's room. I was stuck in her dollhouse for days!" he remembered, shuddering at the memory of how many dresses she made him wear.

"Crap! I'll be stuck here even longer than then though… I don't have my phone on me, there's nothing to climb on the get down, and if I grow back to my normal size, I'll break the shelf and fall to my death!" Sitting with his legs dangling over the edge of the shelf, Eric sighed, hunching over with his face in his hands, "I guess I better get used to being a toy for a while; until Scourge and Fiona come looking for me. At least I completed my mission, and Layla and Shadow will be gone by midnight!" he realized cheering up as he began maniacally laughing.

**Meanwhile at GUN HQ…**

"So, what's the plan?" asked a GUN agent, sitting at a large oval shaped table as the Head GUN agent stood next to a large map of the Dorm Complex for Emerald Coast High School; the Sonic gang's dorm circled in red.

"According to Sonic, the two will be walking down the beach at 2100 hours, so we'll get there a little early and wait for them to arrive. Once they get closer to the dorm, we'll have a helicopter swoop in front of them, blocking them from the front and a helicopter behind them, completely surrounding them. Then, you agents who will be inside of the helicopters, jump out and grab them. Pull them away from each other; once you have them in your hold, we will tranquilize them, knocking them out until we get where we need to go." The Head GUN agent explained.

* * *

**STUPID ERIC! AHHHHH! Eric can go fall in a pit... or fall to his death off of that shelf! **

**Okie dokie... so I had this idea... maybe start doing like a "Question of the Week" kind of thing. Starting next week, if you have a question that you would like to ask me about anything in the Sonic World, the story, my opinion about what the next game will be, anything about the comics, anything to do with music, anything! :D Just don't ask anything like "Where do you live?" Okay, that my friends is considered creepy and stalkerish! :D So if you have a question, ask away! Don't be shy! Everyone is welcome! :D I'll probably answer a question or two a week.**

**Here's a few examples: "What do you think Sega's planning for the Sonic Anniversary game?" or "What do you think will happen with Geoffrey St. John in issue 223?" or "Will there be a sequel to Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama?"**

**Also, thank you soooooooo much for reviewing: **

**Heywhatup**

**RexthecrazyLucario**

**DaniFenton12 (btw- your username got me back into watching Danny Phantom! :D)**

**iSparkle-Hime**

**sonicdahedgehogfan**

**Riia Kurayami (love your name! :D)**

**Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf**

**sonicathehedgehog**

**Hiding in His Shadow (anonymous reviewer) (I think you should get back together with him. :D Once you get an account, PM me and we can talk! :D)**

**Swift the Hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

**wind dragon (anonymous reviewer)**

**Thanks you guys! :D :D :D You're amazing! :D **

**What's going to become of Shadow and Layla? Will Eric ever get off the shelf? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama! :D Remember, ask away! Have a frabjous day! (holy biscuits... that rhymed! I think I'm going to put that at the end of every chapter: Ask away and have a frabjous day! :D) Soooo... Ask away and have a frabjous day! :D**


	22. First Date

Heya peoples! I'm back... and SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO FREAKING SORRY that I haven't updated in what... 2 months.. 3 months? I usually don't cuss in my author's notes, but this is cuss-worthy: i've been through some pretty hellish shit in the past 4 months! February 18th was THE WORST DAY of my life. The night before, I was at a sleepover with some of my best friends having a blast and doing crazy things that teenagers do. :) The next morning, I woke up with SEVERE dizziness, nausea, double vision, and felt like throwing up. I was in bed for 2 weeks with vertigo. I couldn't lift my head off of the pillow without the room spinning before me. I feel the same ever since that day: horrible. yucky. sick as a dog. bleh. I've gone to 15 different doctors, had 10 different types of medication, 5 x-rays, and 3 MRI's, but nothing has worked, and nobody know's what's wrong.

I've given up a lot due my sickness. I had to temporarily drop of of school and apply for the homebound program because I missed 3 months and I was failing due to missing so much work. I've missed so many parties and get togethers with my friends; I haven't seen most of my friends since February. The one guy that I liked who liked me back moved on from me because he hasn't seen me since the beginning of second semester. Now he won't even talk to me. My doctor said that I wasn't allowed to play videogames, read, listen to music, watch tv, or use my laptop, so my day now consists of: sleeping, eating, then sleeping. At night, I sneak out my laptop and work on the story, but I'm usually pretty unproductive because of my double vision and dizziness, making it EXTREMELY hard to write.

The hardest part of all of this wasn't missing school or being alone... my doctor told me that I can't sing or play my piano or guitar. :(((((( super frowny face. :((((((( I had to drop out of chorus in school, drop out of my outside of school chorus, and I missed my trip to Charleston, SC with my advanced outside of school chorus to perform at the Piccolo Spoleto Festival this year. :( Performing at Piccolo Spoleto was my dream... soooo many people get discovered there! Since I am just like Layla, imagine her getting sick and not being able to play piano, sing or listen to music. That is exactly how I was. This chapter DOES have a song, but it's not going to be on youtube until I can play piano again. :/ sorry... :(

I know last time I updated, I told you about how I went to New York and saw Spiderman: Turn Off the Dark and Wicked, but the only reason I went was because the airplane and Broadway tickets were non-refundable, and if I didn't go, that'd be about $1,000 down the drain.

Sorry for that... I thought you guys should know what was going on. I REALLY REALLY appreciate your support, enthusiasm, and nice reviews encouraging me to keep writing. :) You guys are the best readers a girl could ask for. :) Seriously, without your support, I don't know if this chapter would be here right now. :) This chapter was spilt in half- no, thirds- because it was so long! (literally like 11,000 words...) :)

Another thing: I am going to be starting a new story with rosesworld99 soon! Yes, it's another High School Drama story! :D Yes, there will be music involved! :) It probably won't be for a while, but it WILL happen! :D For now, you should check out some of her stories: Peacock and Two Differences Collide! :D Danny the Bunny is featured in Two Differences Collide! :D BTW- if you ever want to use any of my OC's, jut send me a PM because you are more than welcome to! :D

I really hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter! P.S- I'll be answering some questions left in your reviews in my "Ask Layla" column at the end of the chapter! :D Again- you guys are the best! Thanks for your support! Enjoy! Have a Frabjous Day! :D

* * *

Chapter 22: First Date

**Chaos in the dorm…**

_Gosh darnet! Should I wear my hair up or down? _Layla thought, scrunching her thick brown hair in front of her vanity.

_What should I do with my tie? Leave it hanging loose and free or tight and formal? _Shadow thought, pulling the black tie up and down by the mirror.

_Which headband should I wear? Silver or purple?_ Amy questioned, holding the headbands up to her hair indecisively.

_Should I wear my old sneaks or dress shoes? Amy won't care, will she? _Sonic worried, comparing his classic red and white running shoes to a pair of shiny, fancy black shoes.

**Dorm Living Room**

Being ready about 5 minutes early, Shadow walked casually out of the boy's dormitories into the living room wearing a black, red, white and grey plaid dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up, a red tie and black vest with black pants and his normal rocket shoes which happened to match the outfit perfectly, holding a single red rose. Glancing around, he spotted Sonic leaning up against the kitchen counter coolly wearing a white dress shirt with a black tie, thinking nervously in silence as if he was waiting for someone to break the tension in the room.

"Well you're ready early. What are you doing out here? You're not supposed to meet Amy for another hour." Shadow reminded him, joining him in the kitchen.

"Eh, it only takes me like 5 minutes to get ready. I mean, I _am _the fastest thing alive." He bragged, smirking at Shadow.

"Dude, I totally won that race." Shadow recalled, "I'm the fastest thing alive."

"Sorry faker, but I think the one known as "The Blue Blur" is faster. Just sayin'." Sonic corrected, dusting off his fur.

"I'm the fastest, hedgehog!" Shadow cried, getting up in Sonic's face.

"No! I am!" he argued, pushing Shadow into the refrigerator angrily, ready to start another fight.

_Should I wear my boots just in case something goes wrong and I have to run at supersonic speed? _Layla thought, staring at her rocket boots indecisively. _Nah! _She decided, slipping on a pair of red high heels. _Okay… one last look in the mirror… _Looking nervously at her reflection, Layla scrunched her long semi-curly hair that fell a few inches above her stomach; the front pieces pulled back into a small hump on the top of her head, totally opening up her face, showing off her gorgeous violet eyes and long eyelashes. Smiling and fixing her make-up one last time in the mirror, she thought _I'm ready._

"DUDE! I'M FASTER!" Sonic cried, kicking Shadow in the stomach.

"NO! I AM! I WON THE RACE!" he claimed, recovering from the attack, punching Sonic in the face.

_Alright… this is it. _Layla sighed nervously, standing in front of the door leading into the living room. _Here I go… _she thought, opening the door cautiously, walking into the kitchen where she found Sonic and Shadow on the floor, beating the crap out of each other.

"I'M FASTER!"

"YOUR MOM THINKS I'M FASTER!"

"DUDE! I DON'T HAVE A MOM!"

"NEITHER DO I!"

"WELL IF YOU HAD A MOM, SHE'D THINK I'M FASTER!"

"NO SHE WOULDN'T! WAIT, WHAT!"

"I'M STILL FASTER!"

"NO! I AM!"

"Guys! GUYS! STOP FIGHTING!" Layla cried, backing away from the scene nervously, not wanting to get sucked in.

At the sound of Layla's voice, the two instantly stopped, each holding one of the other's limbs as they stared in awe of Shadow's girlfriend. Before them, Layla stood in a short strapless red dress with black ribbon and black crinoline, making the dress a little poofy.

"Wow…." Shadow mumbled under his breath, awe-struck by his girlfriend, "Layla, you look beautiful." He told her, quickly standing up in recovery as Layla blushed profusely. Giving her a kiss on the cheek, Shadow handed her the rose after giving her a tight hug.

"Awwww! You're so sweet!" Layla blushed, "You look sooooo handsome!" she flirted, linking to his arm and leaning her head on his shoulder romantically.

"Faker, if we're not back by 10, then something's up." Shadow informed Sonic, slowly walking towards the front door.

"If we're back _before_ you guys, then something's up." Sonic clarified, pulling a bag of potato chips out of the kitchen cabinet.

Shutting the door behind them, Shadow escorted Layla off of the porch and down the front steps, "So where are we going?" Layla asked eagerly.

"You'll see…. Take my hand and I'll show you." He flirted, holding out his hand.

"Ooooo… mysterious! I like it." She giggled, taking his hand as Shadow pulled out his chaos emerald.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" he cried as the couple quickly disappeared in a cloud of chaos energy.

"WOO!" Layla cried, holding onto Shadow, his feet landing first on the hard pavement, "Thank god you were carrying me this time! That would be an instant wipeout for me since I'm such a klutz!"

"Well, you're a hot klutz, so at least when you wipeout, you look sexy." He joked, taking her hand as he put her down on the concrete.

Recovering herself, Layla looked up, "La Ciotola di Pasta!" she cried, hugging her boyfriend's arm, "Shadow, this I one of the most talked about restaurants in town! How'd you get us in?" she asked in disbelief, jumping in girlish excitement.

"There was a cancellation and they put us on the waiting list. I didn't get a call until about an hour ago that they were actually going have a table reserved for us." He explained as they stood in awe of the massive restaurant.

"And how do you plan on paying for this?" she wondered as Shadow pulled out a credit card.

"GUN gave us credit cards to buy meals with." Shadow clarified, showing her his Bank of Mobius card. "Shall we, love?" he asked romantically, holding out his arm for her to take.

"We shall." She blushed, taking his arm as they made their way toward the front counter to be seated.

As they approached the counter, they were greeted by a tall, white cat wearing a short, strapless black dress, "Welcome to La Ciotola di Pasta. Name?" she asked.

"Shadow the Hedgehog." He stated as the cat flipped through the thick binder in search of his reservation, mumbling his name under her breath as she scanned each page.

"Ah! Shadow the Hedgehog! We have a special table for you." She informed the couple, "Follow me." She instructed, grabbing two menus and walking towards the back deck of the restaurant that sat right along the beach. Guiding the hedgehogs, the cat held the back gate open for Shadow and Layla as she began to walk out on the sand towards the beach. Sitting about 15 feet away from the waves was a table and two chairs, on the table was a bouquet of roses and a set of three candles, the flames dancing in the wild sunset.

"What's all this?" Layla whispered, staying close against his arm, "How on Mobius did you get us to eat out here?"

"Did I mention that the person who cancelled was Justin Beaver?" Shadow smirked, guiding her to the table.

"What!"

"Yup. Justin Beaver has a concert at Emerald Coast Arena tomorrow night, so he wanted to take his girlfriend, Selena Gopher on a romantic date on the beach while they were in town. On the way, his tour bus broke down, and they weren't able to make it in time, so his agent called to cancel, but said to give their special table to the couple who took their reservation." Shadow explained as they made it to the table. Politely, Shadow pulled out Layla's chair for her, pushing her towards the table before taking his seat.

"Your server will be with you in a moment. If you need anything, my name is Roxanne." The cat told them, walking back towards the restaurant across the beach.

"Shadow, this is incredible!" Layla gasped, jaw dropped at the beautiful scene.

"There's more." Shadow smiled, "Turn around."

Behind her, two large male rhinos wheeled a large black grand piano onto the sand as she squealed, "A piano? How-"

"Justin Beaver was going to serenade Selena, but since that didn't work out for them, I thought it may work out for us." Shadow said, getting up and walking towards the piano, keeping his eyes on Layla.

Giving him an awkward and confused smile, Layla nervously stuttered, "Well, that's fantastic… I mean… I don't have anything prepared, but… I guess I could play this song that I just learned last night, but-"

"It's not you who's going to be playing." He clarified, uncovering the keys on the piano, "It's me."

"What!" she gasped, jumping out of her chair with a huge smile on her face, frozen in a shock of happiness as Shadow walked towards her.

"Come here," he smiled holding out his hand, Layla instantly taking it as Shadow lead her to the piano, sitting down and offering her a seat on the bench next to him.

Flexing his fingers, Shadow took in a deep breath, glancing at Layla before resting his fingers lightly on the piano keys. With an encouraging smile from Layla, Shadow began to play a series of short, staccato chords; his other hand playing individual notes going up and down the piano.

"_I Belong to You" by Muse… _she thought, instantly recognizing the melody. _I love this song…_

_*Listen to Shadow singing "I Belong to You" by Muse on my YouTube channel __**LaylaHedgie**_*

Her eyes stinging with tears, Layla exclaimed, "Shadow… that was beautiful! How did you…-"

"You know those nights that I "went for a run"?" Shadow asked.

"Yeah…."

"Well, I wasn't lying… I did go for a run, but a run up to the Fine Art's building to the Chorus Room where Colette taught me how to play this song. Since I think each and every song you sing for me is special, I thought that you deserved a song from me.

"Oh my gosh… that's the sweetest thing anyone's ever done for me! I love you so much Shadow…" Layla cried, leaning in for a long, passionate kiss on the lips with her love.

Breaking apart, Shadow mumbled, "I love you too, Layla." Wrapping his arms around her waist, Shadow pulled Layla against his chest, resting his chin in her soft brown hair as the couple enjoyed the rest of the sunset.

**Meanwhile with Sonic at the Dorm…**

"Sonic!" Tails called, flying into the living room, almost out of breath; the golden fur on his neck and shoulders burned to a pale crimson for staying out in the sun too long, "It took me all day to finish, but the cameras are all set! Now if Scourge and Fiona pull anything, we've got proof of it on tape!"

"Nice job little buddy!" Sonic smiled, giving his little bro' a high five and thumbs up, "So how much of our turf do the cameras cover?"

"Basically the entire perimeter of the dorm at all angles including the roof, balconies and the front and back deck, our whole portion of the beach, including an underwater cam, and I even put one or two in Scourge and Fiona's territory. Now we'll know when they leave, arrive home, come on our property or try to sneak in!" Tails explained, talking with his hands like he normally does when explaining his inventions.

"Pretty sweet!" Sonic grinned, "Hey, did you put any in the girl's dorm area?"

"No! Who do you think I am? Charlie Sheen?" (sorry… no good animal puns for this dude's name… :P) Tails gasped in defense.

"C'mon… I know you've got some tiger blood in there." Sonic joked, elbowing Tails in the shoulder to get him to admit it.

"Sonic… I'm _not _a perv!" he assured him, backing away.

"So, you're telling me that you didn't put _one _camera in the girl's dorm? Tails… admit it." Sonic insisted, knowing what he was hiding.

"Alright, alright… maybe I put _one _camera in there…" Tails confessed as Sonic gave him a look that screamed "_C'mon bro, I know you're hiding more."_ "Alright, two!" he exclaimed as Sonic gave him the same stare, "Fine, three." He said as Sonic continued glaring, "Okay! Five! And they're just in the hallway! Sheesh! Quit staring! It's creeping me out!"

"Nice try buddy, but I know you put at least one in each of their rooms!" Sonic laughed.

"Okay, so maybe I did. But it was only for precaution and the safety of the girls!" Tails defended, not wanting him to get the idea that he was a child predator.

"How many did you put in Mina's room…?" Sonic questioned, Tails turning away, knowing that this question was coming.

"…"

"C'mon…"

"…..Four…"

"You creeper!" Sonic accused playfully, giving him a noogie.

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Your mom's a creeper!"

"Why does everyone keep saying that I have a mom tonight! I DON'T HAVE A MOM!"

"WELL IF YOU DID, SHE'D BE A CREEPER!"

"NO SHE WOULDN'T! WAIT, HUH!"

Cooling down and mellowing out from their war of sarcasm, Tails said, "Sonic. This is serious. Besides, I put the live streamings of the cameras in the bedrooms in a folder on my computer that can only be accessed during a security breach."

"Okay, good. I don't want my little bro' watching girl porn all night." Sonic joked, pulling out his fancy cell phone that he was lucky enough to save before going through the wash. "I'm gonna text Shadow to let him know that the cameras are set. It may calm them down about the whole 'Scourge and Fiona' thing." Unlocking the touch screen on his phone, he opened up a new text message as he began to type:

_Hey, Tails set up some fancy security cameras outside the dorm. If Scourge and Fiona try to pull anything, we'll have it on tape._

**Down on the beach with Shadow and Layla…**

"Buh Da Dink!" sang Shadow's PeachPhone as he slowly pulled it out of his back pocket without Layla noticing, trying not to ruin the romantic moment.

Reading the text, he smiled as Layla sat up and turned around to face him on the piano bench, "Everything okay darlin'?" she asked, examining his expression.

"Better than okay," he replied, taking her hand, "Tails set up some security cameras around the dorm just in case Scourge and Fiona try to do anything while we're gone. Relax now; we're safe."

"Wow…" Layla sighed, relaxing back into Shadow's chest, turning back to face the horizon.

"What?" he asked, wrapping his arms around her waist, resting his chin in her soft brown hair.

"We are so lucky to have such amazing friends," she thought, squeezing Shadow's hand; a soft crimson glow surrounding their touch. "I mean, they'll do anything to make sure we're safe."

"I know," Shadow realized, "We can finally kick back and enjoy a night to ourselves with no worries thanks to them."

"Ya know, I think today was the best day of my life, and I'm so lucky that I got to spend it with my best friend." Layla smiled, giving Shadow a quick peck on the lips.

**Back at the dorm…**

"So how have things been going with you and Mina?" Sonic asked, putting his phone back in his pocket as he jumped up to sit on the counter casually.

"Well, we've only been together for a day, and technically, nothing's really official…" Tails blushed, scratching his head embarrassingly.

"But you _did _ask her out, right?" he questioned.

"Yeah. We're going to go out for pizza after the Wicked rehearsals on Monday." He clarified, "Speaking of Mina, where is she?" Tails asked, realizing that he hasn't seen her all day.

"She and Cream went out to celebrate after looking at the list… or at least that's what Shadow told me at the mall." Sonic informed him, not knowing whether Shadow was actually telling the truth.

"Oh yeah, the list… man, I feel so bad! I didn't even ask how it went!" Tails realized, slapping his forehead in guilt, feeling horrible for not even giving her a call to hear what part she got. "What part did she get…?" he asked Sonic nervously.

"Glinda! Man you're a terrible boyfriend…" Sonic groaned, rolling his eyes at Tails.

"Not completely…" he smiled, ready to prove Sonic wrong.

"What did you do?" Sonic wondered, knowing that Tails tends to go overboard with some of his surprises.

"Well you know how Glinda has a diamond encrusted tiara and staff wand thing?" Tails asked as Sonic nodded vigorously, his mouth full of potato chips. "Dude, you're pigging out!" he scoffed, taking bag of chips away from the hedgehog.

"Give those back! I eat when I'm nervous!" Sonic exclaimed, snatching the bag back, taking another handful of chips and stuffing them in his mouth.

"Ok… whatever. Anyway… I was pretty confident that she was going to get Glinda ever since I heard her sing "Popular" for the first time. Soooo, I decided to start part of her costume early. I took one of my old, fake chaos emeralds, and crushed it into small individual pieces which I used to decorate the tiara and wand of her costume." Tails explained.

"So basically, instead of making Mina a diamond encrusted tiara and wand, you made her a chaos emerald encrusted tiara and wand?" Sonic clarified, his mind not as fast as his feet.

"A _fake chaos emerald_ encrusted tiara and wand." He corrected, "The cool part about that is, if there is a scene where Glinda uses magic, I'll sneak up behind her with another fake emerald which will cause the pieces on her tiara and wand to glow, so it will be like she really is doing magic."

Sonic smiled approvingly, patting him on the back as he told him, "Sounds pretty cool, but if you want to be a good boyfriend, you've gotta show her you care-"

"But I _do _care." Tails protested.

"Well _I _know you care, but does _she_?" he asked as Tails sighed in defeat.

"Your right." He realized, slouching against the counter in guilt, "I haven't even given her a call to ask what part she got! She probably thinks I'm a huge jerk…" Tails frowned when an idea popped into his mind, "I've got it! I'll surprise her with a party when she and Cream get home!" he exclaimed, ready to get started right away.

"Go for it, bud!" Sonic encouraged, patting him on the back, "But you better hurry; I have no idea when they're getting home."

"Sonic… I built the Blue Typhoon –an _enormous _spacecraft- in 6 months by myself… I'm pretty sure I can decorate the living room of the dorm to look like the set of Wicked in a few hours."

Suddenly, the door from the girl's dormitory opened, revealing Amy Rose wearing a light purple dress with one strap that went over her right shoulder covered in sequins. Instead of her regular headband she wore a light purple one with a flower on it; on her feet were silver high heels with straps that laced up a few inches on her shins.

"Ames… you look amazing." Sonic complimented, greeting her with a kiss on the cheek and a quick hug.

"Thanks Sonic." She blushed, "You look pretty awesome yourself."

"Where are you guys headed?" Tails asked, pulling out a bag of potato chips from the cabinet.

"We're going to a teen night club called "The Swing"." Sonic informed him, his arm wrapped around Amy's shoulder as he headed towards the door.

"The Swing? I hear people talking about that place at school all the time. I think it's actually meant for Emerald Coast High students." Tails recalled, "Have fun guys, but be careful. Don't blow the mission-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll have her home by 11, Mr. Rose." Sonic mocked, shutting the door loudly behind him.

"Oh, Sonic! This is going to be _sooo _romantic! Our first date!" Amy squealed, smothering Sonic in a hug.

"I know, I'm excited too. Hold on tight!" he instructed, holding out his arms, signaling Amy to jump into his arms, "It's gonna be a quick run across the beach to the Boardwalk."

"Alright… so what are we doing for dinner?" Amy asked, wrapping her arms around Sonic's neck, allowing him to pick her up bridal style.

"You'll see…" he smirked, taking off at full speed across the soft warm sand as a cool mist from the ocean shore blew in their faces. Approaching the Boardwalk at supersonic speed, the two came to a quick halt in front of a small candle-lit table with two plates behind the huge ferris-wheel that sat on the Boardwalk's edge. On each plate was a chili dog, a pile of spaghetti and a few meatballs.

"Here we are!" Sonic smiled, escorting Amy to her seat as she stared, awe-struck by his effort.

"Sonic… what did you do?" Amy questioned.

"Well… I couldn't decide whether we should go for fancy Italian somewhere or just hang out here and have chili dogs, so I got both." He explained, laughing at himself for making such a weird selection for their meal, "Mario down at the Stinky Cheese said that he could hook us up with this table and the spaghetti, and on the way he picked up some chili dogs." He told her, stretching his hand across the table to rest it on Amy's.

"Wow… oh Sonic! It's perfect!" she cried, "I love you."

"I love you too, Ames." Sonic said, squeezing her hand as he stared into her emerald green eyes.

"So, the big game's this Friday. Do you think the team's ready?" Amy wondered, wanting to start conversation.

"I guess so… Coach Richardson's really counting on Shadow and I and the pressure is really stressing me out. Plus, Shadow's mind hasn't really been in the game lately…" Sonic informed her, trailing off.

"What do you mean?" Amy asked, confused.

"Well, he's just seemed really distracted lately; he keeps zoning out and since he's quarterback, he keeps on getting sacked during practice. It's getting on everyone's nerves, especially mine."

"He's probably got a lot on his mind; I mean, not only is he a constant target of being bullied by Scourge and Fiona because he's dating Layla, but he also has to hide his true identity as the Ultimate Lifeform." Amy suggested, taking a sip of water.

"Yeah, you're probably right, but he _is _QB. The whole team- no, the whole _school_ is depending on him to pull us through to a win. Apparently, ECHS hasn't won a game in years, and now's the time to break the bad streak. Sorry… I'm rambling. How's cheerleading?" Sonic asked, no longer wanting to talk about himself.

"It's actually pretty fun… well minus Eric…" Amy mumbled, not wanting Sonic to hear in fear that he might get mad, ruining the date.

"Eric?" Sonic exclaimed, almost choking on his chili dog.

_Crud! I shouldn't have said anything… _Amy thought, regretting her decision. "Yeah..." she admitted, "Sonic, please don't get mad right now! Can't we talk about this later, ya know, when we're _not _on a date?"

"Amy…" Sonic groaned, angry and stressed by her news.

"Seriously. It's not that big of a deal!" she protested, "He just sits on the bleachers and watches… with a creepy pedo-smile on his face…"

"That's weird… I wonder why I never see him? You and I are on the same football field every afternoon together!" Sonic pointed out.

"Well, you _are_ on the visitors side of the field most of practice, but it _is _weird that you don't see him when you switch to the home side of the stadium for running up and down the bleachers." Amy said, "Maybe he leaves once we switch to the visitor's side." She realized, trying to put the puzzle pieces together in her head.

"I don't know; I'm just pissed that the dude didn't get the memo to stay away. You would think that staining his orange fur red with blood and leaving him half dead would make him take the hint." Sonic scoffed, rolling his eyes as he swirled spaghetti onto his fork. "The next time he's within 100 feet of you, his ass is mine."

"Look, can we please not talk this over now?" Amy plead, her eyes full of worry.

"You know what? You're right." Sonic smiled, "Tonight is about us." Looking into Amy's eyes, Sonic grinned, taking her hand across the table, "I'm sorry I got all worked up. I just want you safe." He explained, feeling guilty for almost ruining the night.

"Oh Sonic, I know you do, and I love you for caring so much; it's just your natural instinct. You're always first to jump into action to protect your friends when they're in danger. Your big heart and heroic sense of justice are what make you _you_." Amy grinned, lightly stroking his cheek with the back of her hand.

"Thanks Ames." He stated with a warm smile.

"What for?" she questioned with a look of confusion.

"For being you." He blushed, leaning across the table for his lips to meet Amy's for a long kiss in the candlelight.

"Breaking apart, Amy suggested, "Hey, let's skip the dance club and just hang out here to watch the sunset. Is that okay with you Sonikku?"

"Phew! You bet it is! I mean… aww crud… we're not going dancing…." Sonic covered, not wanting to make it seem like he didn't want to go to begin with.

Wanting to push his buttons, Amy joked, "Well, if you were really looking forward to dancing we could still-"

"No no no! It's cool! I'm fine, really." Sonic protested quickly, "You know how much I suck at dancing." He reminded her, instantly changing her mind about going dancing.

"This is nice… we can just sit here, listen to the music playing around the Boardwalk, relax, and watch the sunset. This is so romantic…." Amy sighed, looking at her dream boy romantically.

"There's no one I'd rather be with right now." Sonic said, standing up as he grabbed his chair, moving it to the other side of the table next to Amy, facing it towards the ocean. Turning her chair next to his, Amy leaned against Sonic's chest, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.

**GUN Headquarters**

"Karofsky! Status report!" the Chief GUN agent yelled in the large hanger full of aircrafts as a larger group of agents piled on to helicopters.

"Sir, Shadow and Layla are at the restaurant." the GUN agent known as Karofsky sitting at a computer inside their largest helicopter informed him, looking at the couple on the beach through one of their spy satellites.

"Excellent. If we're lucky, this mission could go just according to plan… unless they try to run." The Head agent laughed, "Let's move out!" he cried as the roof of the hanger opened an all 5 helicopters took off towards Emerald Coast.

* * *

**CLIFFIE! :D HOLY CRAP GUN IS COMING! Are Layla and Shadow screwed? **

Weeeeew! Long chapter! :P I'll tell ya- it was REALLY hard to stop the chapter there!

And now it's time for...** ASK LAYLA! :D **(that was corny... watevs!)

**Q: What got you into Sonic the Hedgehog? (asked by Swift the Hedgehog)**

**A: Ever since I was about 4 years old, I would get up every Saturday morning and watch Sonic the Hedgehog (Satam) and The Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog. When I was 5, my dad got me a Sega Genesis for my birthday with the original Sonic the Hedgehog game! :D (best. birthday. ever.) From then on, I was in love. :) I'm that girl you'll see at school wearing the Sonic t-shirt or Sonic hat. My friends and I are all Sonic fans, so we all kinda love the blue blur as a group, so people really don't judge. :) I'm a super fan, and I'm not afriad to show it! :D**

**Q: ****Another question, do you plan on making any other stories apart from this, PHOTO, and maybe a sequel to this? Like a story not connected to any of your others? (asked by Matrix the Hedgehog)**

**A: That's a good question... I've put thought into sequels for both of the stories. :) If I _were _to make a sequel to this, it would come before a sequel to PHOTO because Phantom of the Opera recently came out with it's own sequel that I don't know much about, so now that there is a legit sequel to POTO, I'm not sure if a sequel of PHOTO would happen. I'm not saying no, but it's unlikely. _However, _(i always feel so scientific using "however"! :P) I do have a plot for a sequel to this story. :) Although, don't plan on this story ending soon. :) It's only September, and I'm going to cover the entire school year. :D I can almost guaruntee a sequel for this! :D Also- the story that I am working on with rosesworld99 is going to be in the world of HHSAD, so you'll know all of the characters, but you'll also meet some of her OC's too! :D **

**Q: Are you a MUSE magazine fan? Because in the April 2011 issue, I saw someone use 'frabjous' in the letters page and you are the only other person I've heard using that. (asked by A MUSE fan)**

**A: Doooood! SO ironic! I LOVE MUSE MAGAZINE! I also love Muse the band... :P Although "frabjous" is one of my signature words and sometimes it seems like I am the only person who uses it, that wasn't me on the letter's page. :P "Frabjous" is actually a word from my favorite poem of all time, Lewis Carroll's "The Jabberwocky". It's basically a poem of words made up by Lewis Carroll! :D (and I love making up random words like frickerdous! :D ooo... i'm gonna use that! :D) Thanks for asking though! :) I love hearing about other people who use "frabjous" too because you don't come across too many people who have heard the word before. :D**

**I think I'll answer 3 every chapter... that's a good number! :D I'll do this every update for now on, so if you want to ask me a question about sonic, my opinion on something sonic, or just about me, leave your question in a review! :D Also, if you asked a question that I did not answer, don't worry, I will go back and answer it. :) So ask away! :D I'll answer anything! (Except personal information... because if you want to know where I live, you might just be a creeper! :P)**

**Anyway... thanks for reading! And thanks to these people for reviewing! :D**

**Heywhatup**

**Riia Kurayami**

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**sonicdahedgehogfan**

**Shadowstarwolf**

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**sonicathehedgehog**

**Aravi Velez**

**RexthecrazyLucario**

**Silhouette the Daemon-Wolf**

**super mario 675**

**naruto the hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

**Midnight the Hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

**Swift the Hedgehog (anonymous reviewer)**

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**wind dragon (anonymous reviewer)**


	23. Final Hours of Freedom

Heya readers! :D WOW IT'S BEEN FOREVER! LIKE 3 MONTHS! XD Sorry it's taken me so long to update... my illness has definetly gotten the best of me over the past few months... but it's okay! I'm the slightest bit ahead on the story right now... so I think updates should be coming more often. :D

Wow... lots of drama in the reviews section... first question, then death threats, then busting, then praying, then a major break up, then revenge planning, and now it's kind of like a forum! XD I think this story's number of reviews increased by like 60 or 70 since the last update... Which- #1 THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH for the reviews! You guys are amazing! :D BUT, the review section IS just for reviews... (I know Matrix the Hedgehog has tried to make a forum and for some reason it isn't working) so I am going to try to make a forum where we can all talk like the small family we have become. :) I'll post a review once it's up.

Also- I'm really sorry if you sent me a message or left a comment on my deviantart or youtube account that I haven't replied to... I honestly haven't been feeling all that great lately, so I haven't been on the computer a lot. I'll reply to all messages and comments ASAP.

Okay... so I'm done rambling! Here is Chapter 23! Enjoy! Have a Frabjous day! :D

* * *

**Dorm Living Room**

"DAMNIT SILVER!" Knuckles cried, pounding on a game controller next to Silver as he stared frustratingly at the large flat screen TV hanging on the wall a few inches above the fireplace. Completely unaware of what's going on, Blaze and Rouge walk in the back door after a long, relaxing day at the beach.

"Ha! I just sniped your head off! And now I'm 'gonna do it again!" Silver gloated, completely sucked into the video game to notice Blaze and Rouge coming home.

"What are you two playing?" Blaze asked as they joined Knuckles and Silver in the living room, sitting on the couch to their right.

"Kill War 3," Knuckles said quickly, his eyes focused on the screen.

"Oh! I LOVE that game!" Blaze smiled, watching their gameplay closely, paying close attention to their technique, "Can I play next round?"

"Same here," Rouge smirked, "I could use a challenge."

"Psht!" Knuckles chuckled, **(A/N: I DON'T CARE **_**WHAT**_** THE SONG SAYS! KNUCKLES CHUCKLES! XD) **"You're girls! Girls only play video games if they are A: Ugly, zit-faced and chubby, or B: Lesbian!"

"Is that so!" Blaze cried, standing in front of the screen in anger.

"Hey! Move out of the way!" he growled, leaning in different directions frantically to get a view of the screen before Silver kills him.

"Yeah, Knuckie! Are you _really _hotheaded enough to believe that girls can't beat guys at video games unless they're lesbian!" Rouge yelled, getting up in his face with her hands on her hips.

"Or ugly." He mumbled under his breath just loud enough for the three to hear.

"Is that a bet!" Blaze questioned, her arms crossed.

"If you want it to be!" Knuckles yelled, pointing at the girls threateningly.

Sitting quietly away from the fight, Silver sat as he tried to cut in, "Uh… Knuckes… I-"

"Alright Knuckie!" Rouge interrupted, "You're on!"

"Bring it Batgir- urg… uh… I mean Rouge! I'm up for any bet you dish out, because I _know _I'm gonna crush all of you!" Knuckles gloated, pumping his spiked fist up in the air.

Trying to speak again, Silver said, "Uh… Knux? I don't think that's such a good idea-"

"Ok! Winner gets to pick a dare for each of the three losers!" Blaze decided, challenging Rouge, Silver, and Knuckles.

"Deal!" Knuckles agreed, tossing Blaze a remote.

"Knuckles! Dude! Listen to m-" Silver tried to yell over the other loud voices in the room, quickly being interrupted once again by Knuckles.

"I'm 'gonna pound you all! Soon you'll be taking orders from _me_!" he laughed, picking his custom onscreen character that resembled himself: a red echidna wearing night-vision goggles and a bullet-proof vest.

"Puh-lease! I've worked with the military for _years_! This should be a synch!" Rouge scoffed, snatching the controller from Knuckles' hand. "Playing fake warfare on a video game is nothing compared to first-rate military experience." She pointed out, picking her character: a white female bat wearing a skimpy camo tube top and kaki booty shorts and large, clunky boots.

"Ugh…. ignored… what a surprise!" Silver groaned sarcastically, annoyed as he picked his custom player: a silver hedgehog wearing a helmet and a heavy camo jacket.

"Uhh… Rouge? Your character looks like a slut…" Blaze admitted, looking at Rouge like she was a freak.

"Well mine's better than yours, Miss Conservative!" she dissed back at Blaze character who was in a complete metal suit of armor (Like a dude from Halo or Samus from Metroid) with a helmet, holding a large bazooka.

"It's body armor." Blaze clarified, "You know in these games, you'll find that being fashionable isn't the smartest choice."

"Are you kidding? I wouldn't be caught _dead _in one of those body armor suits!" she exclaimed, still wondering why Blaze would choose something so unfeminine.

"Alright guys, we're going to use the "Dark Legion Headquarters" course." Knuckles decided as the game began to load. Suddenly, the large plasma screen divided into 4 screens, each player getting their own screen, but starting in different corners of the large map. Immediately, Blaze took off, spotting Knuckles and taking him down before he could even figure out where he was.

"What!" Knuckles cried, looking at Blaze with a surprised expression on his face. "How-"

"That's what I was _trying _to tell you! Blaze is ranked among the top 10 Kill War 3 players in the world!" Silver yelled, smacking his head against his forehead; in the millisecond that he wasn't paying attention, his head was already shot off by Blaze.

"WHAT! Why didn't you tell me this _before _we sealed the bet!" he exclaimed in anger, yet keeping his eyes fixated on the screen.

"I was _trying _to, but you wouldn't listen!" Silver shouted, running away from Knuckles' character onscreen. Quickly, he turned around, shooting Knuckles directly in the neck, instantly killing him. The second his player was brought back to life, Rouge jumped out from a nearby corridor, shooting him in the head, causing his avatar to fall to the ground.

"Rouge! That's not fair!" he cried.

"Well maybe if someone wasn't so hotheaded, he would _pay attention _to where his enemies may be." Rouge taunted.

"Hey! Who are you calling a hothead?" Knuckles defended, sticking his tongue out at her.

"Hey guys? Which is better: a shotgun, or a bazooka?" Silver asked, "I mean, a shotgun has a ton of ammo, but a bazooka doesn't, and I just thought-"

"You're so naïve…" Blaze quoted playfully, making Silver smile, recognizing the inside joke.

Nine minutes and 30 seconds into the ten minute game, Blaze had the highest score with 40 kills, Silver with 10 kills, Rouge with 20, and Knuckles with 2. "URGH!" Knuckles growled, throwing the controller against the wall as the ending scored popped up on the screen, "Guns are for sissies who can't put up a fight! I fight with my fists!"

"I hate to admit it, but you're right." Rouge confessed, agreeing with Knuckles, "Real men fight with their bare hands."

"Wooo!" Blaze squealed, celebrating her victory, "Good game guys. That was fun…. Now time for the fun part!"

"Ugh…." the three losers groaned, not ready for punishment time.

"Let's get this over with." Knuckles hissed, sitting in a huff with his arms crossed up against the back of the coach.

"I've got something in mind…" Blaze mumbled under her breath, "Knuckles, Rouge; I dare you two to kiss."

"WHAT!" the bat and echidna cried simultaneously, as they began protesting and bickering in disgust.

"Blaze, what are you doing?" Silver whispered in her ear, Rouge and Knuckles unable to hear over their own loud ranting.

"Silver, they're meant for each other!" she mumbled back.

Taking her point into consideration, Silver realized that she was right, causing him the flashback to a conversation he had with Knuckles before she and Rouge came back from the beach.

**Flashback: Playing Kill War 3 before Rouge and Blaze returned…**

_"Dangit!" Silver cried as Knuckles stabbed him in the back, his player falling on the ground to his death._

_ "Hey Silver? Can I talk to you about something?" he asked still staring at the screen mindlessly, not even glancing over to the silver hedgehog._

_ "Uh, sure. What's up?" Silver questioned nervously._

_ "Well I… it's just that… I'm pretty sure… ugh!" he stuttered, unable to find the right words for what he was trying to say, "I think I'm in love…" Knuckles mumbled embarrassingly just loud enough for Silver to hear. _

_ "Really? You? In love?" he wondered in disbelief, "With who?"_

_ "With Rouge, gosh dangit!" he cried, pausing the game, putting down the controller and cupping his head in his hands._

_ "Rouge? I thought you guys hated each other! Or at least that's how you two make it seem…"_

_ "I don't know… I thought I did too, but now, I don't know why, but I like being around her. I feel strangely attracted to her…" Knuckles admitted, feeling somewhat ashamed. "I used to think that she was an annoying slutty jewel thief who just wanted to push my buttons all the time, but now I think she's funny, sorta hot, and I actually kinda like it when she messes with me. I used to despise her, but now I don't know _what _to think! I'm pretty confused…"_

_ "Knuckles, I'm no expert on love or anything, but it's obvious you have feelings for Rouge." Silver informed him._

_ "I guess you're right…" he sighed, "I guess my main concern is if she likes me back, because Silver, I'll be honest with you: I _really really _like her."_

_ Smiling, Silver said, "Again, I'm no expert, but have you seen the way she flirts with you?" he asked, "Being in public school for so long has let me discover the different ways of flirting. Every person has a different way of flirting; some are extremely giggly and nice when talking to their crush, some do things like trip or get hurt on purpose to get their crush's attention, and some even bully their crush. In your case of flirting, you two constantly bicker, and I mean _constantly _bicker. Rouge always wanting to pick fights with you is her way of spending time with you because she wants to be with you." He explained, "She likes you, Knuckles."_

_ "You really think so?" he asked, looking at Silver with a small grin on his face._

_ "Of course!" Silver cried, trying to convince Knuckles of his certainty._

_ "Well, how do I make my first move? I'm not really the romantic type." Knuckles blushed, scratching his head in guilt._

_ "You'll know when the time comes. For now, I think you two should just act how you normally do around each other, and when you feel comfortable to make a move, you'll just do what feels natural." He explained as Knuckles nodded in agreement._

_ "Ok, I think I know what to do now. Thanks Silver." He smiled, feeling much better after sharing his feelings with somebody, picking up his controller, ready to continue with the game. _

**End of Flashback**

** "**Alright," Silver agreed, backing away from Blaze, letting her have control of the dare.

"On the lips." Blaze instructed, pointing at Knuckles and Rouge.

"Does this count as each of our dares?" Rouge asked.

"Of course! I'm not a mean person. I wouldn't do that to you." Blaze laughed, "C'mon guys! You've got this!"

"Okay…" Rouge hesitated. Standing behind her, Silver made motions towards Rouge for Knuckles as he nodded in response.

Rouge still nervous said, "Are you s-"

"Come here, you!" Knuckles flirted, grabbing Rouge, not thinking before acting, holding her in his arms, dipping her towards the floor in a romantic caress as he kissed her passionately and she melted in his arms. It wasn't until they broke apart that the aftershock hit Knuckles. _I can't believe I just did that! I just kissed Rouge the Bat!_

"Wow…" Rouge blushed, completely in shock of his bold and romantic actions, Knuckles standing her back up, as she stared deeply into his violet eyes. "You are one _fantastic _kisser."

Completely lost in Rouge's eyes, Knuckles smiled back at her, totally zoned out. Coming back to reality, Knuckles blushed darker than his fur when he realized that she was still in his arms. Letting go of Rouge, Knuckles backed away embarrassingly, feeling that the situation was now awkward.

"Uh… I've gotta go…" he mumbled, speed walking through the door to the boy's side of the dorm.

"Knuckie, wait!" Rouge cried holding her arm out toward him, hoping he would turn around and come back, but she had no such luck.

"Wow, that's strange. He boldly kisses me like he's some kind of kissing master, and then runs out of the room with his tail between his legs like he's never been kissed before." Rouge pointed out with a sad expression on her face. _Did he _regret _kissing me? _She sighed, disappointed by his negative reaction.

Seconds after Knuckles ran into the boy's dorm area, Tails walked out of the same door rolling a large cart full of projectors into the living room. "What's up with him?" he asked, motioning back towards the door in reference to the previous scene with Knuckles.

"After winning a bet, Blaze dared Rouge to kiss Knuckles, and he did pretty passionately, but then right afterwards he fled the room." Silver explained to the fox.

"Wow! You two kissed! I never thought I'd see the day when you two actually got along." Tails joked, taking a projector off of the cart and plugging it into the wall as everyone waited in silence for Rouge's response.

After getting no answer, Blaze asked, "Rouge, are you okay?"

Standing with her facing her friends, Rouge stood in silence, her ears drooped with a small frown on her face. "Oh… I'm fine. I just kind of want to be alone right now." She mumbled, moping into the door to the girl's dormitories.

Entering her room, Rouge sat on her bed as she grabbed her pillow, thinking over what just happened. _Does this mean he doesn't like me? Because I sure like him… ugh! Love sucks! _She thought, hugging her pillow as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

**Back in the Living Room with Silver, Blaze, and Tails…**

"So what are you doing with all of those projectors Tails?" Silver asked, curious to see what the fox might be up to this time.

"Well you know how the results for the "Wicked!" auditions came out today?" he asked, "Well I'm going to surprise Mina, Cream, Layla, and Shadow by decorating the dorm like he set of Wicked."

"But how are you going to do that with just a bunch of projectors?" Blaze questioned, thinking that it was impossible.

"Oh, these? These aren't just regular projectors. They project special holographic images that look like real 3D objects, unlike a regular projector that only projects faded pictures." He tried to explain, "I've designed a few of the sets from Wicked in a program on my computer, and since I've saved them onto the projectors, I can project any of them in this room."

"Ok… can you show us an example? Like the trademark cornfield backdrop?" Silver asked, wanting to see what his devices could do.

"Alright," he agreed, picking one of the many projectors on his cart. "Computer: Access file 'Wicked Cornfield'" he instructed, pointing the projector at a large empty wall.

"Accessing… projecting…." A female automated voice spoke, when suddenly a large cornfield appeared in front of the wall.

"Amazing! It looks so real! It doesn't even look like a projection; it looks like someone broke into the dorm and planted a cornfield in here!" Blaze gasped, backing away from the large cornfield cautiously.

"You can't even see the wall behind it! The corn is blocking it!" Silver pointed out in awe, "That's scary good, Tails."

"Well do you want to be terrified? Go touch it." Tails dared them.

"Oh god… they're not…" Blaze said in disbelief.

"But they are." Tails grinned as Silver reached toward one of the stalks of corn, expecting his fingers to go right through it like a hologram, but instead, he grabbed one of the leafs.

"Holy guacamole!" he cried, jumping away from the corn stalk and hiding behind Blaze, "it's real!"

"It's not real; it's just the first ever 4D image projector." Tails smiled, proud of his hard work.

"That's incredible!" Blaze cried, attempting to get Silver to stop hiding.

"It can do one more thing: not only can it project images from my computer and make them real, but it can scan real life objects and make an identical copy.

"Really? Show me!" she squealed, excited to see what it could do.

"Okay, Blaze. Strike a pose!" Tails exclaimed as Blaze put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Alright here we go! Computer: scan object."

"Scanning…." The voice spoke again as a blue beam of light scanned Blaze's body from head to toe. "Projecting…" Suddenly, standing next to Blaze, was an identical copy of herself in the exact pose she was in."

"AHH!" she screamed, jumping into Silver's arms in terror. "It can't move or talk, can it!" he yelled.

"No no no! That's my next project." Tails clarified, bringing peace to Blaze's mind.

"Phew… good!" she sighed as Tails turned off the projector, her identical twin vanishing with it.

"Well anyways… I could really use a few hands decorating the living room. I have absolutely no idea when Mina and Cream are getting home, so I need to get done as soon as possible. Are you two in?" Tails asked.

"Sure! I'm up for some dorm decoratin'!" Silver smiled high fiving Tails.

"Let's do it!" Blaze agreed as the three started decorating, grabbing projectors and places them in various places in the large living room for the best surprise ever.

**Back at the Restaurant with Shadow and Layla…**

After ordering their meal and enjoying the lovely sunset, Shadow and Layla decided to lie in the sand nearby the shoreline, letting the waves hit their toes as they talked and cracked jokes, being total morons together.

"Thank God I'm not sharing a dorm with Eggman anymore… one time, I walked in on Eggman wearing nothing but a thong singing "Never Gonna Give You Up" by Rick Albatross." (Rick Astley in the human word ) Layla said as the two laughed and shuddered at the image of Eggman dancing in a thong.

After laughing so hard he couldn't breathe, Shadow told her, "Thank God I'm not on Space Colony ARK anymore. One time I walked in on Dr. Gerald wearing a speedo singing "Jailhouse Rock" by Elvis Penguin." (Elvis Presley) Shadow described, making them both laugh to the point of tears.

About 10,000 feet above the pair in 5 military stealth helicopters were over 30 GUN agents, waiting to swoop on command at any given moment. Peering outside of the helicopter's open door with a pair of high powered binoculars stood the Head GUN Agent, "The girl resembles Shadow" he pointed out to the agent standing next to him. "I bet she holds far greater power than him too."

"We'll soon know," the second agent grinned, "The scientists down at Area 99 having a lab made up for them that is completely ready for testing."

"Excellent," the Chief Agent grinned evilly, continuing watch Shadow and Layla as they shared a kiss in the waves, "Young love… how sweet. Enjoy it now hedgehogs, because it's not going to last much longer!"

**Sorry that chapter was kind of short! The next chapter is almost done, so it should be up in about a week or so. I'm going to leave out the list of people who reviewed since there were so many reviews so I can get this chapter up. I'm also going to leave out "Ask Layla" this time so I can post this sooner. The "Ask Layla" part of the update will start back up next update and so will the "Reviewer" list. So ask and review away! :D Reviews get you air hugs! :D :D :D**

**As always, THANK YOU MUCH FOR REVIEWING! :D :D :D 300 Reviews... holy freaking crap... THAT'S A LOT OF REVIEWS! :D Thank you MUCH! You guys are the best readers ever! :D I love you guys! Also, thank you for your support and patience for this chapter. This chapter wouldn't have been up right now if it weren't for you guys! :) Thank you! :D**

**Is GUN finally going to find Shadow and Layla? Are Mina and Cream going to be shocked by the Tails, Blaze, and Silver's decorations in the dorm? How will Sonic and Amy's date end? Find out in the next chapter of "Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama!" Have a frabjous, Frabjous, FRABJOUS Day! :D**


	24. Taken

Heya Landsharks! That's my new name for you guys since ECHS' mascot is the Landsharks. I'm so sorry it's been over 3 months since the last update! I was going to post on 11/15, but for some reason my Document Manager wasn't working, so I had to wait until today (when it started working again) to upload. I was so disappointed because 11/15 was the 1 year anniversary for this story, making the update that more special. :/ Whatever, at least it's posted. Some reasons I didn't post:

-My illness: We finally got a diagnosis: **Lyme Disease**. We had to take an emergency trip to New York this weekend for special treatment. I'm sitting in this tiny airport waiting for my flight to board right now.

-Homecoming Court: I was elected onto Homecoming Court! I REALLY was not expecting this at all. I'm a lot lik Layla, so could you picture Layla on Homecoming Court? I didn't think so... but I had the best Homecoming ever! I went with the guy I really like and it was perfect. I didn't win Class Favorite, but honestly, I could care less. I was shocked to have even been nominated! XD It was such a huge commitment though.. we had practice/spirit week meetings everyday after school for a month until homecoming.

Anyway... so sorry for posting so late! They just announced boarding for us, so I've gotta run! Enjoy! Have a frabjous day!

* * *

Chapter 24: Taken

**Dorm Living Room**

"Nice job guys! The dorm looks _fantastic!_" Tails smiled in awe of the living room's decorations. Against the back wall in the kitchen, a large map of Oz was hung up, the Emerald City marked right in the middle of the large piece of parchment. On the large wall over the front door, a massive backdrop of a clock that counted to 13 o'clock was projected; on it, the second hand actually ticked, making it more realistic. Covering the wall with the TV and the fireplace, a large projection of the sparkling Emerald City stood, glistening as if it was actually real. Around the room on random robotic mannequins stood prototypes of the star's costumes; Glinda's (Mina's) and Elphaba's (Layla's) stood in the middle in front of the large clock backdrop. Sitting on top of the Glinda mannequin's head sat the fake chaos emerald encrusted tiara Tails made especially for his love, in her right hand her wand, and on top of Elphaba's sat her signature witch hat, her spell book tucked under her right arm, and her broom in her left hand.

"Thanks Tails, but this is all your work. We just helped." Blaze smiled, high fiving Silver and Tails in celebration of their huge accomplishment.

"Yeah, and it only took 15 minutes!" Silver realized, looking around the room that they totally transformed into Oz.

"I wonder where Mina and Cream are anyway? It's almost 9:30… they've been gone since 6:00 am." Blaze wondered.

**The Boardwalk **

"Danny, we've been at the same carnival game for 5 hours!" Mina groaned, ready to leave the "Test Your Strength" game that they've been at since earlier that afternoon, "Can't we go already?"

"No! I'm _going _to _win _the giant stuffed animal grand prize for Cream!" Danny exclaimed, picking up the large, heavy hammer and slamming it down onto the base, sending the weight souring towards the bell at the top of the large tower, missing the mark by a good foot.

Approaching her boyfriend, Cream put a hand on his shoulder, "Danny, you _really _don't have to-"

"No," he grumbled, turning to face her, swiping her hand away, "I'm going to win you a stuffed animal."

"Ok, then I'm going to help you do it." Cream smirked flirtatiously, gripping her hands around his, holding the hammer steady.

"Alrighty then…" he blushed, giving another $5 to the tiger running the 'Test Your Strength' game, adding on to the large wad of cash he had already given him. "Ready?" Danny asked, smiling warmly at Cream.

"Let's do it. The trick is to aim as closely as you can to the middle of the base." Cream instructed, moving the hammer and their arms towards their target.

"Ok… 1… 2… 3!" Danny cried as the two slammed the hammer down on the base with all of their strength, sending the flying at the bell at high speed.

"!" sang the bell as colorful lights danced up and down the large tower, "You win!" an automated voice said robotically, as Danny lifted Cream up, spinning her around through the air in celebration.

"Thanks Danny… that was really sweet of you to do this for me." Cream smiled, giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Well I couldn't have done it without you my little strong-girl! I mean, who would've guessed that a girl as sweet and petite had so much muscle!" Danny exclaimed in disbelief, poking her super skinny, yet muscular arms.

"Congratulations guys! Here's your prize!" the tiger smiled, handing each of them a giant chao stuffed animal- Cream getting a pink chao and Danny getting a regular blue and yellow chao.

"Thanks man! But why do we _each_ get one? I was just going to win one for my girlfriend here." He questioned the tiger.

"Why! Because I've made more money off of you alone than I have in all of my years of being in business here on The Boardwalk! Take it! You _deserve _two! I'm going for a shiatsu!" the tiger exclaimed in excitement and joy, shaking Danny's hand enthusiastically and thankfully before skipping off of the Boardwalk towards the mall.

"Wow! You guys did it! Can we go home now?" Mina begged, exhausted from their long day of fun.

"Sure. I'll walk you guys home." Danny offered as they both picked up their giant stuffed animals, when suddenly, the two began to stare at each other's chao nostalgically.

"Guys….? You okay….?" Mina asked, snapping in her spaced out friend's faces as their imaginations began to return back to Earth.

"Wanna trade?" the couple asked each other simultaneously, giggling at the fact that they were thinking the exact same thing.

"Sure, I'd really like that." Cream grinned, handing Danny the chao that resembled Lulu as he passed her the chao that looked almost identical to Cheese.

Smiling at each other in silence, Danny interrupted the moment as he said, "Let's get you guys home."

**15 minutes later in front of Dorms 1A and 1B**

"I had a blast today, Danny. I really don't want to go back yet." Cream sighed, holding her boyfriend's hand in front of her dorm, not wanting to let go.

"I don't want to either, but you have to. Nobody has any idea where you've been all day. They're all probably worried about you." Danny explained, wishing he had friends that cared about him as much as Cream's care for her.

"Danny's right, Cream." Mina agreed, feeling like a third wheel in the situation, "We sort of ran off without telling anyone. We're going to have a lot of explaining to do with Sonic and the others. Especially Sonic." She informed her.

"Oh yeah! That's right! He'd kill us if he found out we spent the day with you, Danny." Cream panicked, "You're not going to say anything, right Mina?"

"Of course not!" Mina cried, "You're my best friend! I would never do that to you. Plus, I'd probably get in as much trouble as you." She joked, giving Cream a half hug.

"Thanks, Mina. You're the best." She smiled, "Thanks again, Danny."

"No problem! I had so much fun! We really have to sneak out more often!" he laughed, trying to make light of the situation at hand.

"We should… if this lasts. No one can find out other than Tails, Blaze, and Layla." She reminded him, sighing deeply, sitting on the bottom step of the front porch, "I don't like this…"

"What? Us going out?" Danny asked worriedly, sitting down next to her.

"No! I love being yours… it's just that I hate doing this in secret…" she explained, "What are we going to do for Homecoming? Or Prom? We won't even be able to dance together…" Cream sighed, putting her head against Danny's shoulder.

"Hey…. It's alright." He crooned, wrapping his arms around Cream's waist, pulling her closer. "We'll figure it out when it comes. Right now, we just need to deal with the situation and make accommodations to help it until the drama settles down. Just think: one day, Scourge and Fiona will be in jail, and this whole mess will be over!" Danny joked.

"Hehe, yeah. I could just picture them in orange jumpsuits." Cream laughed, feeling better.

"Buuuuuuut, until the day they get arrested, just know that you've got friends who have your back, and will cover for you to make sure you two can be together." Mina smiled, winking at the couple.

"I know, you guys are the best friends a girl could ask for." Cream grinned, hugging them both, "C'mon Mina. Let's go."

"Bye, Cream. I love you so much! Just remember that, m'kay?"Danny told her, pecking her quickly on the lips, holding her close before sending her up the stairs to the front porch of the dorm.

"Okay, I love you too." She said back as she ascended up the staircase.

**Inside the dorm with Tails, Blaze, and Silver**

Sitting on the windowsill as still as a marble sculpture, Blaze sat, keeping lookout for Mina and Cream, "Tails! Silver! Cream and Mina are outside with Danny!"

"With Danny!" Silver cried, "I thought Danny was a traitor! He broke Cream's heart!"

Not wanting to be the one to break the news about Cream and Danny to angry Silver, Tails panicked, quickly saying, "Cool! I'll go set up the lights!"

_Oh crap! I wasn't supposed to say anything! Well, now that he knows, I better tell him before things go south… _Blaze thought worriedly.

"I'm gonna go teach that punk a lesson!" Silver yelled, pushing Tails out of the way as he trudged toward the door, when suddenly, Blaze threw herself in front of the door, holding her arms out, determined to not let him through.

"Blaze! What are you doing?" Silver questioned in frustration, "Step aside! I don't want to hurt you!"

"I can't let you do this, Silver!" she defended.

"Wha-…? Blaze, that jerk hurt Cream!" he argued, "Don't make me _force_ you to move with my telokinesis!" he threatened, holding one of his palms in her face.

"You've got it all wrong…" Blaze said calmly, grabbing Silver's hand and moving it away, "There's something you need to know." She sighed, knowing inside that she shouldn't be telling him, "Danny didn't hurt Cream on purpose; he was trying to protect her."

"What? But that day on the beach-"

"He was trying to keep her away from the fight so she wouldn't get hurt, but Sonic made it seem like he was playing her even though he really loved her. They're both in love, actually, and have been dating behind everyone's backs so Sonic wouldn't get mad. You have to swear not to tell anyone!" she panicked, grabbing both of Silver's hands and looking into his eyes, "Please Silver! I screwed up… I wasn't supposed to say anything to anyone! Will you do it for me?" Blaze begged, giving him a puppy-dog-pout.

"You're a cat, and yet, you can still do the most convincing puppy-dog-pout I've ever seen." Silver laughed, "Alright. I won't tell anyone."

"Thank you, Silv'!" Blaze cried, jumping at him quickly for a hug. Looking back out the window, she spotted Mina and Cream telling Danny goodbye and beginning to walk up the stairs. "Oh! Here come Cream and Mina! Tails! Cue the "Dancing Through Life" Instrumental!" Blaze yelled back at Tails, who was standing by the large stereo.

"Got it!" he cried back, cranking up the music just as Mina and Cream walked through the door, dimming the lights so that the various 4D projections around the room could be visible.

"SURPRISE!" the three screamed together as Cream and Mina gasped in unison.

"Oh. My. God!" Mina exclaimed, "Oh my god! This is amazing! What did you guys do!" she questioned, completely at a loss of words.

"This is incredible! How did you guys get all of these props and backdrops?" Cream cried, looking around the room in shock.

"They aren't backdrops or props… actually, they're not real!" Tails laughed, scratching his head awkwardly.

"…"

"Tails, I love you, but you're crazy. How can they not be real?" Mina laughed, trying to play down her confusion.

"No really! They're not real! They're all just a bunch of projections." Blaze explained, soon realizing that they are right to believe that they're crazy.

"But… how come I can touch this corn?" Cream asked, running her fingers through the life-like stalks of corn.

"These aren't just regular projections; they're the first ever 4D projection." Tails clarified, pressing the "Off" button on the projector for the corn, scaring the living crap out of Cream, making her run and hide behind Mina.

"Oh Tails! That's awesome! I'm so proud of you!" Mina squealed, running to give Tails a hug before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"So… what do you guys think?" Silver asked, looking around the room, proud of their quick work.

"I can't believe you guys did this for us… it's amazing!" Cream exclaimed, touched almost to the point of tears, "You guys are amazing." She smiled, "Woah! Nessarose's wheelchair!" she cried, running over the projection of the gold encrusted wheelchair with red velvet padding.

"Wow! Glinda's costume!" Mina cried, standing in awe of the fantastic detailing, "Man, I wish this was real… it's just a projection…" she sighed in disappointment, wishing she could wear such an amazing costume on stage as she ran her fingers across the soft, silky fabric. _The fabric feels so real… _she thought. The dress was a beautifully pale baby blue (so pale that it was borderline white); the bust area was a blue corset with puffy sort sleeves a sweetheart neckline that was covered in sky blue sequins. Below the corset, the skirt of the dress poofed out into tiered layers; each layer resembling flower peddles embellished with sky blue sequins. The shoes that matched the dress were high heels that matched the same pale blue and were covered in the same sky blue sequins. _And the tiara… it's stunning… _she sighed. The tiara was made up of shards of Tails' fake blue chaos emerald, forming snow-flake like shapes on the crown. The wand was also blue chaos emerald pieces, forming one large snow-flake at the end of the staff. _I would kill to wear this in the performance…_

"Actually Mina, yours is real." Tails smiled, making Mina gasp in shock.

"What? Really!" she cried, rushing the Tails' side in excitement. "You didn't…"

"Yes I did! Actually, I was so sure you were going to get the part of Glinda, I started your costume early…" he explained, "Go ahead, try it on! It's yours!" he told her as she squealed in glee.

"Oh my gosh! Thank you thank you thank you Tails!" she squealed, being on a sudden high of happiness as she ran to her room with the dress to get changed.

"I just realized that I'm going to need practice moving around in a wheelchair…" Cream noted, wondering if she could actually move around in the fake wheelchair. "Hey Tails? Can this thing move?" she asked, putting her hands on the wheels, but too afraid to move them.

"Yeah! As long as you stay within the radius of the projector's projected light, you're good!" he clarified as Cream pushed the wheels, making the chair move. (Basically, if she moves too far away from the projector, the chair will disappear and she'll fall flat on her butt. :P)

"Woah! I'm moving! Oh my goodness, I'm moving!" Cream screamed, scared that the chair could actually move with her in it. _Man… I wish Danny were here… he'd love this! _Looking at Blaze, Silver, and Tails, Cream's expression asked _Can I go get him?_

Smiling back at her, Blaze whispered, "Go get him. I know you want to."

"Thank you, Blaze!" she squealed, darting out the door to see if Danny was still there. Eagerly running down the front steps, Cream looked around the front of the dorm to find nobody there. _It's only been like 5 minutes! He couldn't have gotten that far… _she realized, flying up high into the air to get an aerial view of the school's small neighborhood of dorms. Flying high with her ears, Cream glided towards Scourge and Fiona's dorm, still finding no sign of her boyfriend. _How could he have gotten home so quickly! _She pondered, _Oh yeah… he can fly with his ears_ _too. Duh! _Approaching the dorm, she spotted Scourge and Fiona, lying out on a towel on their beach, violently making out as they watched the remains of sunlight fall beneath the horizon. _Uh… well at least those two are… well… "distracted" while I search for Danny. They'll probably head back to their dorm once the sun goes completely down, so I only have about 5 minutes to find Danny. _Cream plotted scanning the dorm from above when suddenly, she spotted a brown and tan figure standing out on a balcony, watching the remainder of the sunset from afar.

"Bingo," Cream whispered to herself, flying towards Danny's balcony as fast and quietly as she could.

_Oh Cream… what am I going to do? _Danny sighed, looking out onto the horizon. _You want to be able to announce our love in public, but if we do, we'll have our faces pounded in by the leaders of our rival groups. I want to show my love for you to everyone_ as _well, but I don't want you to get hurt. _

"Psst! Annyday!" Cream scream-whispered his name in pig-latin as she ascended down towards him.

"Cream! What are you doing here!" Danny cried as Cream landed into his embrace.

"Just come with me! Tails has a surprise for us!" she smiled, grabbing his hand and lifting off the ground once more.

"Wait! Is it safe? You know, for you and me? Is Sonic there?" he asked, hesitant to follow.

"No, he's out with Amy, and Layla's out with Shadow. C'mon, you have to see this!" she insisted, tugging on his hand.

"Alright! Alright!" he laughed, "I'll come with you, but we can't be spotted by anyone." He reminded her, flapping his ears as he lifted off the ground, headed straight for dorm 1A.

**Back at the dorm…**

After about five minutes Cream and Danny had arrived back, and the door to the girl's dorm cracked open as Mina peeked her head through nervously. Completely distracted, Silver, Blaze, Tails, Cream and Danny were all dancing to "What is this feeling?" (from Wicked… in this chapter, all of the songs mentioned are from Wicked. :D) Knowing almost all of the words, Cream and Danny sang, through the whole song until the last lyric ("day"), Mina walked into the room wearing her sparkly, new costume made by Tails.

"Daaaaaaaaaay!" she sang beautifully and melodically, making her grand entrance into the living room.

"Oh my gosh…" Blaze and Cream both whispered in awe.

"Wow…" Danny and Silver smiled.

"Mina… you're beautiful!" Tails gasped, taking her hand and walking her towards the now naked mannequin where the crown and wand still sat. "Let's add the final touch." He smiled, carefully placing the blue chaos emerald, snowflake tiara on her hand before handing her the matching snowflake wand. "Take a look!" Tails exclaimed, handing Mina a large handheld mirror.

"Oh my gosh… Tails… this is incredible!" she murmured, putting her hand to her mouth in shock.

"Wait, just one more thing…" he informed her, pulling a fake gold chaos emerald out of his back pocket and holding it up to the wand and tiara, causing them to glow a brilliant sky blue color.

"Whoa!" Mina cried, staring into the mirror in awe as the crown radiantly glowed. "What's going on!"

"You see, when a chaos emerald comes in close contact with another chaos emerald, it begins to glow; that rule does not change for fake chaos emeralds, so since your crown and staff are made of a fake blue chaos emerald, it glows when I bring this fake gold emerald near it. So, in the show, when you use magic or make an entrance or exit, I'll come from behind and put the fake gold chaos emerald near you, so your crown and wand will glow." Tails explained, "But don't tell Rouge that those jewels are fake… she'll have a heart attack!"

"Haha! You're probably right! The other day at the beach, I was wearing a fake diamond necklace and she ripped it right off my neck and threw it into the ocean!" Blaze laughed, but at the same time, missing her diamond necklace.

"Yeah… I don't want her to touch these… especially after all the hard work you did to make them!" Mina giggled, "Thank you so much Tails! For everything: my wonderful dress, my tiara and wand, this party, and of course, your support. I wouldn't have this role without you." She smiled, giving Tails a kiss on the nose.

"Heh heh n-no prob'! I know you'll do awesome when show time comes around." He blushed, taking her hand.

**At "La Ciotola di Pasta" with Shadow and Layla…**

"So, what _was_ life like on Space Colony ARK?" Layla asked, swirling spaghetti onto her fork, gazing at Shadow in curiosity, "I mean, if it weren't for GUN, I would have been there with you, but since I wasn't, I want to know all about it."

"My memory of life on ARK is pretty blurred, and some things I do remember are painful to talk about, but I'll tell you anyway. You deserve to know." Shadow said, sighing at the scarring memories.

"Shadow, if you don't want to talk about it, you don't have to. Really." Layla assured him, putting her hand on top of his across the in comfort.

"No. It's fine. Besides, it's about time I talked to someone about my times on Space Colony ARK." He argued, putting down his fork, ready to start talking, "ARK was massive… high tech, every wall was pretty much one massive window, everyone knew each other, and even though I was amongst all humans, I wasn't really treated like an animal; we were like a big family, and of course, there was Maria." He explained, cringing when he said Maria's name.

"Maria? Who was she?" Layla asked.

"Maria was my best friend, and Dr. Gerald's granddaughter. She had blonde hair with blue eyes and almost always wore the same blue dress. Every day, we'd sit together and look down on earth and wonder what it was like." He told her, smiling at his fondest memory.

**Flashback **

_"Shadow?" Maria asked, pressing her hands up against the glass of the large window, looking down at the earth as it slowly turned._

_ "Yes, Maria?" Shadow responded, sitting next to her, looking pensively down in the same direction._

_ "Do you think that the Earth is spinning, or do you think the ARK is spinning around Earth?" she asked curiously, leaning her entire body against the glass to look at the bottom of the large blue and green sphere. _

_ "Maybe we're both spinning." He suggested, still looking through the glass._

"_Maybe," She giggled, when suddenly, she spotted a shooting star in the distance, just above the top of the earth, "A shooting star! Quick! Make a wish!" she squealed, grabbing Shadow's hand, falling to her knees, and closing her eyes, she wished aloud, "I wish Shadow and I could be together always," she started, gripping his hand tighter, "and one day go to earth and have a picnic under a beautiful oak tree." _

_Closing his eyes, Shadow thought _I wish I could bring Maria to earth one day, and give her the picnic under a beautiful oak tree that she wants.

"_I wonder if we'll ever make it down to earth. Grandfather promised to take me one day, but he seems to have forgotten since he's been so busy with his latest project." Maria sighed, sitting down with her legs stretched out in front of her and her hands supporting her behind her back. "I wonder what Grandfather has created this time… he refuses to tell anybody. Even me…" _

"_Yes. It seems he locked himself in his lab days ago and will not come out until the project is complete." He told her._

"_Oh, I hope Grandfather hasn't forgotten about taking me to earth…" she trailed off, bringing her knees to her chest, looking down on earth longingly._

"_I'll take you." Shadow mumbled._

"_Huh?" Maria said, turning to look at Shadow._

"_I'll take you to earth." He repeated, this time much louder, "One day, you and I will go down to earth, and have a picnic. We'll have the best day of our lives." He promised, smiling back at Maria. _

"_Oh Shadow, that would be wonderful. Thank you. I can't wait!" she told him, turning back to look out the window. _

"_Hmph." He said as he thought, _You're welcome, Maria. I would do anything for you.

**End Flashback**

_So Layla must have been the project Maria was talking about… _Shadow realized, when suddenly Layla interrupted his though process.

"What happened to her?" Layla asked.

"She was killed in the GUN invasion." Shadow mumbled, "That day was unreal. It felt like the whole world was coming to an end. When GUN started invading, Maria and I instantly began our escape, but we were spotted by GUN agents who tried to shoot us down. Eventually, we ran ahead of the GUN soldiers where we approached the escape pods, and Maria trapped me in one so that she could save me. I didn't want to leave her; she was my best friend, but she started the countdown to launch, and just as it reached 1, the GUN agents had caught up to us, and they shot Maria right before my eyes. "

Layla gasped, "Oh my gosh… Shadow I'm so sorry. I had no idea-"

"It's ok. It was a long time ago, but I think about it every day; it was mentally scarring." He described, "I lost Maria because didn't protect her, so now I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that you're safe." He assured her, squeezing Layla's hand across the table.

"And I'll do everything in _my _power to make sure that _you're_ safe." Layla assured him, "Remember Shadow the Hedgehog: we're a team, and I'll always be there for you, no matter what happens." She pledged, taking both of his hands; a larger red glow forming between them. "I love you, Shadow."

"I love you too Layla, and I promise I'll always protect you." He said as they slowly leaned across the table for a kiss, when just before their lips met-

"Uh… is this a bad time?" their waiter -a male white cat- asked, sneaking up behind them just before they almost kissed.

"Uh… no… not at all." Layla lied, falling back against the back of her chair in shock.

"Hmph." Shadow said angrily, crossing his arms and glaring at the cat in frustration.

"Okay… well I just brought the check." He mumbled, scared to further anger Shadow as he handed him the check.

"Whoa…" he mumbled looking at the number at the bottom of the receipt.

"Can I see?" Layla asked as he passed it to her, "WOW! That's a LOT of zeros!" she cried, "I didn't even think it was _legal _for restaurants to charge _that _much for a glass of water!"

"Ha! Luckily GUN's paying for it!" Shadow laughed, handing the waiter the Bank of Mobius card GUN had given him.

"Thank you, kind sir. I'll be right back." The white cat said as he began walking across the sand back to the building.

""Kind sir?" What a suck up!" Shadow joked, causing Layla to almost spit out her water due to laughing so hard.

Speed walking through the crowds in the restaurant, making his way to the cash register, the waiter swiped Shadow's card, officially confirming the transaction on his bank account.

About 10,000 feet above the restaurant in a stealth helicopter were many GUN agents, including the Chief. One soldier sat by a desk on a laptop, with Shadow's bank account open on the screen; a list of all of his transactions were recorded. Suddenly, a new transaction popped up: "La Ciotola di Pasta."

"Chief!" The GUN agent at the computer desk cried, "Shadow just made a transaction on his credit card; he just paid for dinner." He informed the Head GUN soldier. In response, the Chief quickly walked over to view the laptop screen. "Wow, that's a lot of zeros!" he yelled ironically as he looked at the price of the meal.

"Excellent. Men, it's time to move in!" the Chief GUN agent screamed as a spy video monitor showed Shadow and Layla getting up and making their way back to the dorm by walking across the beach. "Follow those hedgehogs!"

Since the restaurant was only about half a mile away from the dorm, Shadow and Layla walked through the soft, cool sand hand in hand, talking randomly about topics ranging from school, to their past adventures as the GUN stealth helicopters followed them silently, ready to swoop in on command.

"So after GUN invaded, Robotnik wanted revenge so he planned to have Space Colony ARK collide with earth?" Layla clarified, completely shocked that their creator would do such a thing.

"Yes Dr. _Ivo_ Robotnik was pretty stupid to have messed with Space Colony ARK after all those years; (remember: in this story, Ivo Robotnik and Eggman are two separate people… or so they think… :P) that day could have ended the world." Shadow answered.

"We would have never met if you hadn't stopped it from happening… you saved my life." Layla gasped, realizing that she too was on ARK when it was about to crash into earth.

"That's right. You were still dormant in your containment cell." He realized, looking at her in amazement. "What if-… no… that's a stupid question."

"What?" Layla questioned, "You know I don't care. Just ask me."

"What if the world did end? Like, right now?" Shadow asked.

"Well… if the world _did _end… out of the two years I actually lived, I could say I fell in love." She smiled, stopping in her tracks and leaning up against his chest.

"Well _I _did something better." Shadow joked smugly, wrapping his arm around Layla's shoulder, pulling her closer as they continued walking.

"Oh really?" she giggled jokingly, "And what might that be?"

"I fell in love with my best friend." Shadow said, turning to face Layla as he lifted her chin lightly, passionately kissing her on the lips.

**10,000 feet above…**

"Okay, Squad leaders. Final status report," the Chief GUN agent commanded into the helicopter's radio.

"Beta Team, checking in and ready on command, Chief," the leader of the Beta II Squad confirmed through the radio from the helicopter to the right as the pilot gave a thumbs up through the window.

"Delta Team, checking in and ready on command, Chief." The Delta Squad Leader radioed.

"Gamma Team, checking in and ready on command, Chief."

"Omega Team, checking in and ready on command, Chief."

"What about you, Alpha Team?" the Chief asked the soldiers in his helicopter.

"Ready on command, Chief." The pilot informed the Head GUN agent, his hands firmly placed on the controls.

"Excellent. On my command… in 3… 2… 1..." the Chief declared quietly and slowly as his cadets waited in silence for the command. "GO!" Rapidly, the stealth copters dove, quickly, yet quietly enough for Shadow and Layla to be oblivious to their presence.

Breaking apart their kiss, Shadow assured her, "I'll love you to the end, Layla the Hedgehog."

"To the end." Layla answered, hugging Shadow tightly, quickly kissing him once more.

"C'mon. Let's go home," he advised, taking Layla's hand, leading her back to the dorm, when suddenly-

"FREEZE, HEDGEHOGS!" an authoritative voice yelled as a helicopter quickly swooped in front of them, stopping them in their tracks. Standing in the open doorway of the hovering helicopter stood two GUN soldiers, both holding large, fully loaded rifles.

"WHA-?" Layla cried in horror, still holding on to Shadow in fear. _They've come for us… _she thought, her worst nightmare finally becoming a reality as four other helicopters swooped in, circling around them, blocking the couple from all angles. There was no way to escape.

"MOVE OUT! GO! GO! GO! GO!" A soldier inside the Alpha Helicopter cried as dozens of GUN agents flooded out of the large helicopters, surrounding the hedgehogs within seconds so they couldn't run away.

"I think we're in for a rough battle." Shadow whispered.

"I'm with you to the end," Layla replied, slipping off her spikey stiletto high heels, ready to use them as her only weapon. "UGHYA!" she cried, shoving the heel of her shoe into the nearest GUN soldier's chest, instantly killing him. As Layla fended the soldiers off with her shoes, Shadow fought off the agents with his fists, both quickly being outnumbered. "There's too many of them!" Layla screamed as two GUN soldiers grabbed her arms tightly, "LET GO OF ME! SHADOW HELP!"

"Layla! Use your chaos emerald!" Shadow cried, holding up his lime green emerald as he tried to make his way toward her through the large crowd of humans.

_Oh yeah… I totally forgot I had this! _Layla realized, using one hand to grasp the red chaos emerald pendant on her necklace and the other to reach out towards Shadow. "Shadow!" she cried, reaching for his hand with the last ounce of strength she had.

"Layla!" Shadow screamed, stretching his hand out to meet hers; their fingers just barely meeting before-

"They have chaos emeralds! Shoot them!" The Chief commanded as one of the soldiers with a gun quickly lifted his rifle, aiming, and shooting Layla directly in the chest, instantly causing her to fall to the ground in defeat.

"LAYLA! NO!" Shadow cried, "CHAOS CONTROL!" he screamed in vengeance, tears streaming down his face as a massive beam of light shot out of his hand, killing every GUN agent in its path.

"Whoa…" the remaining soldiers in the helicopters whispered in shock, safe from the beam of chaos energy unlike their fellow comrades.

Finally getting a break, Shadow stood amongst the dead GUN soldiers, gasping for air. "Layla!" he yelled, running to her side at supersonic speed, falling to his knees and pulling her limp body onto his lap.

"…Shadow…" she mumbled, barely staying awake.

"Layla! You're alive!" he gasped, pushing her hair out of her face and stroking her cheekbones lovingly.

"….Go….. save… your…self….." she whispered, feebly trying to reach her hand up to touch Shadow's face.

"No! I'm not leaving you!" Shadow insisted, grabbing Layla's hand before it could reach his cheek, ""To the end," remember?"

"To…... the end….." Layla smiled weakly just before passing out, completely unconscious in his lap.

"No! Stay with me Layla!" he cried, shaking Layla lightly in an attempt to wake her up, "Come back to me Layla! Layla!"

"Okay… we've given him his last moment with his girlfriend." The Chief acknowledged, "Shoot him." He instructed the gunman as he swiftly pulled the trigger, shooting Shadow in the back, causing him to collapse in the sand next to Layla, his arms still wrapped around her waist, refusing to let go.

"To the end…" he mumbled with his last breath, passing out with his body against hers.

Jumping out of the helicopter with ease, the Chief approached the unconscious couple to examine the bodies, "Welcome to the rest of your lives, hedgehogs." He said, "Welcome to Hell."


	25. Hostage

Hey Landsharks! I am sooooo sorry it literally took me years and years to update. The last time I posted, I had no idea I would be facing the hardest battle of my life through the next few months. Unfortunately, the stress of trying to stay in school combined the stress of the story became too much for my body to handle, and I had to give up writing for awhile. My life since I got sick has consisted of two things: medication and school. That's it. Not kidding. There were times that I would be in bed for weeks at a time, unable to even sit up. Sometimes I really wondered if I would even make it to graduation. It's been quite a battle, and I've learned things that I really didn't have to learn until later in life. In a sense, I had to grow up faster than everyone else, but also, my life has been put on hold while I've watched all my friends grow up around me while I remained frozen, stuck at the same point in my life where I was when I first got sick. I've had to sacrifice a lot of things I loved, and unfortunately, that included this story.

Buuuuuuuuuut, I am very happy to announce that I am almost 100% better! I found a treatment that body reacted very well to, and slowly I have gotten better and better over the past few weeks. I can honestly say that I feel like myself again. There got to a point where I had been sick for so long, I didn't remember what it felt like not to feel sick all the time, but now I know for sure: this is what feeling healthy feels like, and I am so happy to say that I will be able to enjoy my senior year of high school like a normal teenager! My senior year will include singing my heart out, playing piano, and of course, writing this story!

Thank you sooooo much for being such loyal readers and friends. I am so sorry if you sent me a PM and I wasn't able to reply. My parents limited my time on the internet because it made me feel sick being on my computer, but I have read each and every review you have posted and every time I read them, it would brighten my day more than you all will ever know. It was a lonely time stuck at home, and knowing that I had my HHSaD family supporting me always cheered me up and gave me hope. Thank you all so much for your love, prayers, and support through the past few years.

Anyway, I am going to quit my rambling and give you all what you have literally been waiting YEARS for! Enjoy! And as always, have a frabjous day! :D

* * *

Chapter 25: Hostage

* * *

**Area 99 Laboratory**

"Ugh…" Shadow yawned, rubbing his eyes blinking his eyes open after a long sleep, looking around the dark room he awoke in, "What!? I'm alive!?" he cried, pinching himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. _Great… I'm alive… but where am I? And where the heck is my chaos emerald?! _he thought, feeling the floor around him before standing up to walk, when unexpectedly, his face collided with a thick, bulletproof glass. _What? Glass? _Confused, he turned around, stretching his arms out in front of him, only to touch the glass again, when suddenly, bright lights flicked on, revealing a large, white walled, dull laboratory with double doors that resembled the entrance to an Emergency Room. There were lab tables set up around the area and across the room in a large, clear, glass tube, stood Layla, pressing her face and banging her fists against the glass, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"LEMME OUT YOU BASTARDS! LET ME OUT!" she shrieked, closing her eyes as her claustrophobia began to kick in. She took large quick breathes to try to soothe her pounding heart. "AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Layla screamed, panicking as if the walls of the tube were getting smaller and closing in on her.

"Layla!" Shadow screamed, overjoyed to see her alive once again as he tried to break through the glass to reach her, but failing miserably, "Thank God you're alive!"

"Shadow?!" she yelled, opening her eyes to his voice, "Shadow! I'm so scared!"

"It's going to be okay, love! We're _going _to get out of here somehow!" he shouted in attempt to calm her down.

"I can't breathe in here!" Layla shrieked, frantically banging on the almost indestructible glass before collapsing on her knees, "I _HATE_ SMALL SPACES!"

"It'll be alright… I promise!" Shadow cried through the thick glass across the room, "I'll get you out of here! Even if it's the last thing I'll ever do!"

That moment, the large double doors opened, revealing the Chief GUN agent and two GUN soldiers holding the same type of rifle as before, followed by a large group of about 10 to fifteen scientists wearing lap coats and safety goggles, "Ha! Security is so tight here, even a fly can't get in." the Chief laughed, his arms crossed as he stood up straight. "I bet you're both wondering why you're still alive." He smirked, pointing to the large barrel gun in the soldier's hands, "These are a special type of tranquilizer gun that not only knocks you out, but it stops the heart for exactly one hour, simulating death, giving us plenty of time to fly you guys to Area 99. We use these guns on our toughest inmates."

"You monster! I swear, the minute I find a way out of this tube, your ass is mine!" Shadow threatened the Head GUN agent aggressively.

"GET! ME! OUT! OF! HERE!" Layla cried, sitting in the fetal position on the metal floor inside her small glass tube.

"As you wish, hedgehog," the Chief snapped, giving her an evil grin, "Ready the MRI machine." He ordered as the scientists scurried around the room and the soldiers approached to Layla's capsule, pressing the release button with their weapons in her face as it opened so she wouldn't attempt to run.

"MRI?!" Layla gulped, trying to break free of the soldier's tight grip, refusing to give up.

_Oh no… Layla's going to have a heart attack inside that machine! _Shadow realized, looking around frantically to find some way of escape to save her. Observing the tube, Shadow looked up to the low, metal ceiling of the tube that was only inches from his head, when he realized a vent directly above him.

"Ah, I see you just found the vent. I wouldn't try to escape through there." The Head GUN soldier warned, "You see, about 10 feet above your head is an extremely powerful fan that is as strong as a jet turbine and will tear anything it comes into contact with to shreds."

"Hmph," he sighed, crossing his arms in defeat, glaring at the humans surrounding his capsule.

"Okay, Shadow. We're going to start you off with a basic x-ray. Just stand still as we scan your body." A male scientist ordered, pressing a red button on his tube, triggering a red laser to scan his body over.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" a shrill, high-pitched voice cried from the distance, causing everyone in the room to jump.

"Layla!" Shadow yelled in worry, pressing his hands against the glass, completely ruining the x-ray quality.

**In the MRI lab with Layla…**

"Let me go!" Layla screamed as two soldiers held her down on the patient table of the MRI machine and two scientists strapped her arms and legs down, disabling her from moving.

"Yeah, yeah… shut up, Lola!" one soldier remarked.

"It's _Layla_, you moron!" she corrected.

"Whatever, Laura." The soldier replied, rolling his eyes as he pushed Layla into the large tube of the MRI machine.

_Ohhhhhhh my gosh….. _she thought as the tube walls of the MRI machine hugged her arms; the top less than an inch away from her nose. "LET ME OUT!" Layla shrieked, her claustrophobia getting worse by the second as she tried to break free of her restraints. "PLEASE! I CAN'T BREATHE IN HERE!"

"Like we care!" the other soldier scoffed before leaving the room.

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! ERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!" the MRI machine screeched as the scientists powered it up, covering their ears with headphones to block out the loud sounds. Quickly, tears began to form in Layla's eyes as she became overwhelmed; the small spaces plus the deafening noises making her feel completely trapped as she began to shake in fear, taking small, quick breathes as if she were about to pass out.

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" she screamed in distress, her high pitched cry echoing throughout the large facility.

**Back with Shadow…**

"Calm down, lover boy! It's just an MRI! She's fine." The scientist assured him.

Grinding his teeth together, it took all of Shadow's strength to refrain from letting the scientist have it. _I don't give a crap what you say! You don't know her like I do… she's _not _okay… _

"Now… our next test is going to test is going to assess your vision," a female scientist informed him, pulling out a bland, black and white chart with letters ranging in size from small to large. "Read these letters slowly," she instructed, pointing to the first row of large letters.

"F. U. C. K. Y. O. U." he joked, articulating each letter to make sure the woman got the message clearly.

"Very clever, hedgehog." She sighed in defeat, "It looks like he's not going to cooperate."

"Okay, then we'll just do a test that makes him feel comfortable." A different woman scientist suggested, "And we'll do that by making him feel like he has power. Let's try the chaos energy test."

"Good idea." One of the male researchers agreed, pulling out a walkie-talkie and radioing the Chief of GUN, "Sir, we need the green chaos emerald for our next test."

"Roger that. I'll send a soldier with the emerald." The Head GUN agent replied, and within minutes, a soldier returned with Shadow's green chaos emerald.

"I'm giving this back to you for testing purposes," the soldier stated, "No funny business! Got it hedgehog?!"

"Hmph. Whatever." Shadow sighed as the GUN agent slipped the emerald through a small door in the side of the glass tube.

Filling out a form on his clipboard, one of the researchers said, "Alright, Shadow. Now we're going to-"

"AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Layla cried from the MRI room, her scream echoing once again.

"Layla…" Shadow mumbled, her safety the only thing on his mind.

"Ugh… ignore that." The scientist groaned, annoyed by her cries of terror. "We're going to measure -"

Completely ignoring what the scientist was about to say, Shadow dropped to his knees, gritting his teeth in pain as he listened to Layla's distant screams, "How am I supposed to _ignore_ that?" he growled through his teeth, "You don't understand! You're torturing her!"

"SHADOW! HEEEEEEEELP!" she screamed, when suddenly, a brilliant idea popped into his head.

"I'm coming Layla!" he yelled, holding up his lime green chaos emerald,

"Oh no…" the researchers all mumbled simultaneously.

"Stop him!" a woman scientist screamed as two GUN agents came running towards his tube at full speed.

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Shadow cried as everything came to a slow, freezing the GUN soldiers in mid-stride and stopping the scientists in the middle of panic. _I don't have much time… _he thought, looking up at the vent, "Chaos Spear!" he yelled, the blast of chaos energy breaking the vent open, revealing the large fan the Chief was talking about, completely frozen in time. Jumping up, Shadow pulled himself into the vent, carefully climbing through the fan's sharp blades. _Great. Now all I have to do is find the room Layla is in._ Crawling through the ventilation system, Shadow looked through the vent covers until he found a room with many scientists surrounding a large MRI machine. _That has to be the MRI lab!_ Busting through the vent cover, Shadow landed on the hard tile floor just as time was restored back to its regular pace.

"What!? The hedgehog!" a scientist working the MRI machine screamed, backing away nervously. "Get him!" He cried as another researcher pressed a red button on the wall labeled "EMERGENCY", triggering a high pitched, ear piercing alarm. At the sound of the alarm, dozens of GUN soldiers poured into the room, ready to attack and recapture Shadow.

"I don't think so! CHAOS SPEAR!" Shadow yelled, knocking out the large crowd of soldiers in one sweep of his hand; the MRI machine still beeping loudly, making noises similar to those of a machine gun. Rushing to the machine, Shadow slid the patient table out of the MRI's large tube, revealing an emotionally distraught Layla, shaking with tears streaming down her cheeks.

"Shadow!?" she quivered as he wiped away the tears on her cheeks, unbinding her arms and legs before she jumped into his waiting arms. "How did you escape!?"

"No time to explain! C'mon, we have to get out of here!" Shadow rushed.

"Wait! I'm not wearing my rocket boots… I can't run as fast as you!" she realized, stopping in her tracks as Shadow examined her outfit: the same red dress with black ribbon and red heels with black trim as she wore on their date.

"No problem," he smiled, scooping her up into his arms, smirking happily at the heroic feeling.

"My hero…" Layla joked sarcastically in a nasally voice, trying to push his buttons as she wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Oh, shut up…" Shadow laughed, zipping out of the room, trying to find the nearest escape route through the long, dull hallway.

"Wait a sec! Before we leave, we have to find where they're keeping my chaos emerald," she reminded him.

"Right. It's probably in a high security room surrounded by GUN soldiers." Shadow pointed out, "So wherever the most GUN agents are is probably where we'll find it." Coming to a slow at the end of the hallway, Shadow peeked his head around the corner, checking to see if there were any soldiers around, when suddenly, a large group of nine GUN agents sprinted down the corridor at the sound of the loud alarms.

"Protect the chaos emerald at all costs!" one of them cried, holding his gun out in front of him as he ran at full speed down the hall, ready to fire at any moment as he headed to guard the red emerald.

"Let's follow them! Wherever they're going is where they're keeping my chaos emerald." Layla whispered, turning the corner and running down the corridor right past Shadow.

"Wait!" he yelled, grabbing her arm to bring her back, "If we follow them, they'll see us and we'll get recaptured."

"Crap! Your right…" she realized, just when a brilliant idea popped into her head, "Can I borrow your chaos emerald?" she asked, holding out her bruised hand.

"Hmph," Shadow nodded, placing the green emerald in the palm of her hand as she gripped her fingers around it.

"Awesome," Layla smiled, grabbing his hand as a small red glow appeared between their touch, "Don't let go of my hand," she instructed, "Chaos clear!" Layla whispered as she and Shadow's bodies quickly vanished, turning completely transparent.

"Nice. They'll never know we're on their trail," he smirked, "C'mon! Let's follow them," he suggested, picking up his invisible girlfriend and darting down the long metallic corridor at full speed.

Turning the corner, Shadow and Layla hid behind another nook as they spied on the scene going on down the hall. Standing in a large cluster guarding a thick, metal safe door were a dozen GUN soldiers, all holding fully loaded machine guns, "I'm going to create a diversion. You go get the emerald," Shadow ordered, putting Layla down on the ground, "Here, I want you to take my chaos emerald."

"You can't go without your emerald! They'll catch you!" she protested, "I'm not leaving you."

"I'll be fine. I have my rocket shoes- I'll just run away and once I know I've lost them, I'll come back for you, I promise." He assured her, looking around the hallway to see if the coast was clear.

"Shadow…" she whispered in worry, squeezing his hand, not wanting to let go.

"I know you can do it. As long as you stay invisible, you can take out those soldiers and steal the emerald no problem," Shadow encouraged, "I believe in you, love." He smiled, holding her close as he ran his fingers through her long, soft hair in comfort. "Now's your chance," he informed her, letting go of Layla's hand, his body restoring its visibility as he appeared before her.

"Okay… be careful." Layla sighed, kissing him on the cheek just before Shadow turned the corner, ready to make a scene.

"Hey there, assflaps!" Shadow yelled, sticking his tongue out tauntingly as he gave each of them the finger, "Come get me!"

"The hedgehog!" one soldier cried, cocking his gun.

"GET HIM!" another shouted as about six of the soldiers took off after him down the hallway; the loud alarms continuing to go off.

Layla thought, _Okay… how the heck am I going to do this? _

Still completely invisible, Layla walked down the hallway in which the GUN agents were standing, guarding the large, open safe door. Approaching the soldiers cautiously, she felt as though she were still visible; as if the soldiers could see her, but they just chose to ignore her like a fly on the wall. _I must be completely out of my mind…_ she realized, contemplating how she was going to get through the dense block formation of GUN soldiers protecting the door just as an idea came to mind.

_I know! I'll lure them away one at a time. _She decided.

Tip-toeing to the end of the corridor as quietly as her stiletto high heels could go, Layla stood in the middle of the hallway to get a good view of the GUN agents. _Here goes nothing… _she thought, taking in a deep breath as she belted out the first verse to the song "O Mio Babbino Caro" melodically in her high, angelic soprano voice.

"Whoa…" one of the gunmen gasped, "Where is that beautiful singing coming from?" he whispered, looking around the hallway to find no one there as if the melody was coming from nowhere.

"I'm going to go check it out," the leader of the small group of GUN agents decided, "Forman; Johnson; you two come with me. You three stay here," he instructed as the remaining soldiers followed his commands, standing alert, waiting patiently for action. Running down the corridor towards the source of the singing, the soldiers kept their guns against theirs chests as they frantically turned their heads, looking for the owner of the melodic voice, but after searching the entire hallway, there was no sign of anyone.

"Hello?! Is there anyone here?!" one of the GUN Agents yelled, looking around the hallway.

Quietly, Layla slipped off her high heels, continuing to sing her ballad as she approached one of the GUN soldiers from behind. Lifting her shoe above her head, she struck him in the back of his skull with the pointy heel of her shoes, instantly knocking him out.

"Johnson!" Agent Forman yelled, running to check on his comrade while the other soldier stood guard, giving Layla a chance to move in.

Silently, Layla hopped around the two agents on the ground, tip-toeing towards the one standing guard in front of them. Closing her eyes and raising her shoe up high, she smacked him in the head, immediately rendering him unconscious.

"Karofsky!" the last conscious GUN agent on the ground cried, jumping to his feet and covering his head in protection of the unknown force attacking them, "Whoever- or whatever- you are, show yourself!"

_Well he's blocking his head… how am I going to get him to take his hands away so I can knock him out? _Layla thought when an evil, yet brilliant idea popped into her head. Coming face-to-face with the quivering GUN soldier, Layla kicked him as hard as she could in the nuts.

"OWWWWWW!" Forman cried, falling to the ground in pain, his hands gripping his crotch as Layla mumbled "Chaos Solid" in order to gain back her visibility, approaching the fallen GUN soldier in pride, "YOU!" he yelled, using his free hand to point at her in shock.

"This is for _ruining _the best day of my life!" she shouted, kicking him in the head, knocking him out cold. _Now to gain back what's rightfully mine. _She thought, clutching the brilliantly green chaos emerald in her hand as she whispered, "Chaos clear!" Running back down the corridor with the heavily guarded vault, she approached the large safe door protected by the three remaining GUN agents. _Now to get them away from the door… _ Silently tip-toeing to the other side of the other the hallway, a completely invisible Layla devised a plan to lure the soldiers away from the door, and their unconscious comrades.

"Hey! Over here!" she called from the hallway opposite from the corridor with the fallen soldiers.

"Wha-? The girl!" cried one of the armed men standing guard by the large, steel safe door.

"We can't let _both_ of them get away! Let's go!" Many ordered as the group charged on in the direction of her voice.

Quietly, Layla walked past the sprinting soldiers into the now unguarded, vulnerable safe. In the middle of the large room was the beaming crimson emerald in a glass case on a short steel platform. Smiling ear to ear, she slowly opened the case, when suddenly:

"BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!" sounded a loud, obnoxious alarm as the safe door began to slowly shut. Snatching the emerald, she dove through the door just before it slammed shut behind her, leaving her heart and mind racing with fear.

"SHADOW!" Layla screamed in desperation, running down the hallway in attempt to find him in order to escape.

"HEY!" a masculine voice yelled from the opposite corridor.

"Shadow…?" Layla smiled, turning around to find herself surrounded by armed GUN soldiers, their guns pointed directly in her face.

"Freeze, hedgehog!" one of them ordered, grinning evilly at Layla.

Clutching the two chaos emeralds tightly in her hand, she cried, "I don't think so! CHAOS CONTROL!"

**Meanwhile with Shadow…**

"Is that all you've got, weak humans?!" Shadow taunted, sprinting down a long corridor after losing the soldiers that were after him. "Phew… I'm not used to running for so long without a chaos emerald." He realized, slowing down at the corner of the hallway to take a quick break, when suddenly: BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! "Whoa!" he screamed in shock.

_What the hell was that?! It sounded like an explosion..._ _Oh no! Layla! _He realized, taking off like a rocket down the hallway, following the smoky smell from the burning rubble to find his way. Eventually, he came to the grim scene of the explosion, finding about eight or nine soldiers completely knocked out on the ground in a circle around an unconscious Layla. Beside them was a large hole in the wall, revealing the inside of a laboratory, and sitting on what was left of the tile floor was the metal shell of a small but deadly bomb.

"Layla!" Shadow cried, rushing to her side, lifting her limp body onto his lap as he examined her injuries. Her beautiful ruby dress was stained with dark crimson blood, and her arm was slashed by flying debris.

Slowly fluttering her eyes open, Layla smiled at the sight of Shadow, "Hey… what'd I miss…?" she whispered weakly.

"Thank God you're okay. You've got to be more careful about where you use chaos control, stupid!" he warned flirtatiously, "You induced chaos control with _two _chaos emeralds… next door to a bomb lab. Way to go, klutzy!"

"Hey, at least I'm not the one making a complete ass out of myself by _running away_ from GUN agents!" she defended, gaining enough of her strength back to stand up, "By the way- thanks for the emerald." She smiled, tossing the lime green emerald back to its rightful owner, "It was my first time using two at once."

"And if it was up to me, it'd be your last!" Shadow joked, "You'd just blow yourself up again, and I am not going to let that happen."

**Area 99 Security Headquarters**

"Sir! The safe is empty, over half of our men are down and the hedgehogs are escaping!" A GUN soldier informed the Head GUN Agent quickly after reviewing footage from the security cameras placed inside the hallways. "Would you like me to order reinforcements?"

"No," he replied coldly, grabbing his tranquilizer gun, "I'll handle this."

"But sir-"

"Trust me. I'll get those hedgehogs back in line. I'll show them who their true master is." The Chief declared, running out of the room, ready to attack the couple and put them back in captivity for good.

**Sorry that wasn't the longest chapter. I just wanted to get SOMETHING to you guys since you have been waiting so long! The next chapter should be coming soon. Uh. You guys. 436 REVIEWS!? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING SUCH AMAZING READERS! I LOVE YOU ALL TO DEATH! 3**

**Thank you all again soooooooo much for the love and support. You guys kept this girl fighting. :) I can't wait to finish this story. Love you guys! :)**

**So Shadow and Layla aren't dead!? How will they escape!? Find out in the next chapter of Hedgehogs, High School, and Drama!**

**Have a Frabjous Day! :D**


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